Moderating Effects of Housing Tenure Change on the Longitudinal Relationship Between Housing Relocation and Life Satisfaction

This study aimed to estimate (a) trajectories of life satisfaction before and after housing relocation and (b) how changes in housing tenure at the time of relocation affect life satisfaction trajectories. Using data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study spanning 2006 to 2021 (N = 9,369), we examined the anticipatory, immediate, and long-term impacts of housing relocation on life satisfaction. We employed individual-level fixed effects models. This study also conducted housing tenure-stratified analysis to determine whether changes in tenure at the time of relocation affect the longitudinal association between housing relocation and life satisfaction. Our study found that life satisfaction decreased in the year leading up to housing relocation but showed an immediate increase during the relocation year. However, this rebound did not result in a long-term improvement, as life satisfaction eventually returned to baseline levels. Regarding housing tenure changes, persistent owner-occupiers experienced an immediate increase in life satisfaction during the year of relocation, while persistent renters did not experience any significant changes in life satisfaction before or after relocation. Individuals transitioning from renters to owner-occupiers reported higher levels of life satisfaction both before and after relocation. In contrast, those transitioning from owner-occupiers to renters experienced a decline in life satisfaction before relocation, with no significant changes in the year of relocation or afterward. These findings highlight the varying impacts of housing relocation on life satisfaction, influenced by changes in housing tenure.