Wellington Spetic, M.Sc. (2004)

Dissertation Title and Abstract:

The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Survey of Canadian Households: A Focus on Indoor Air Quality Lighting, and Acoustics.

This study examined aspects of the Healthful Living concept in the Canadian housing market. This is a marketing research project which focused on what Canadian householders value and desire in the indoor environment of their homes, particularly the indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustics. A nationwide sample consisting of 3,592 Canadian households was investigated revolving around issues of consumer demand for healthier homes. The major topics assessed were: 1) identification of consumer groups that show an interest in certain aspects of the indoor environment through demographic and psychographic segmentation; 2) measurement of the levels of importance and knowledge of some issues related to indoor environmental quality; and 3) willingness to pay for better indoor environmental quality.

Results showed that 56% percent of the respondents are knowledgeable or have heard the term “Healthy House” before. Modeling using a logistic regression algorithm was conducted to determine whether the likelihood of paying more for better indoor environmental quality features could be predicted. Cluster analysis was used to identify consumer groups that valued or were more knowledgeable about some aspects of the indoor environmental quality. Products and materials promoting energy efficiency, natural light, better insulation, and non-allergic qualities were preferred in a choice/preference question of nine attributes regarding Healthier Homes.

There seems to be a market and opportunities for the Healthful Living concept to establish itself in the Canadian housing sector which may offer great prospects to the Canadian wood industry and its segments.

Related Publications and Conference Presentations:

Spetic, W., R.A. Kozak and D.H. Cohen (2008). How Consumers Value Healthy Houses: A Preliminary Segmentation of Canadian Households. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 23(1):37-52.

Spetic, W., R.A. Kozak and D.H. Cohen (2007). Perceptions of Wood Flooring by Canadian Householders. Forest Products Journal 57(6):34-38.

Spetic, W., R.A. Kozak and D.H. Cohen (2006). The Indoor Environmental Quality Survey of Canadian Households. Forest Products Society 60th International Convention, Newport Beach, California, June 2006. Poster (Management, Marketing & Economics Technical Forum).

Cohen, D.H., R.A. Kozak, W. Spetic, J. Rice and P. Alexiadis (2004). Holistic Housing. Branchlines – UBC Faculty of Forestry Newsletter 15(3):3.

Spetic, W., R.A. Kozak and D.H. Cohen (2004). Consumer Demand for Healthier Homes in Canada – Survey Results. The Fall Conference of the Canadian Home Builders Association of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, October 2004.

Spetic, W. and R.A. Kozak (2004). “UBC Survey Finds Willingness to Pay More for Healthy Homes”, The Vancouver Sun, Saturday, 19 June 2004, Westcoast Homes Section – F2.

Spetic, W., R.A. Kozak and D.H. Cohen (2003). Consumer Demand for Healthier Houses: The Healthy House Survey of Canadian Households. Forest Products Society 57th Annual Meeting: Theory and Applications in Forest Products Marketing (Session 5), June 2003, Bellevue/Seattle, Washington.