MPJ 2011 n.20

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МОНГОЛЫН ХҮН АМЫН СЭТГҮҮЛ Дугаар (367) 20, 2011
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a relatively young country, where the average
21 and 70 per cent of the population is under
the age of 35 2011),
this distribution is deemed as appropriate. Of
the total respondents, 176 (39.1%) are male,
and 274 (60.9%) are female. Family size,
defined as the number of family members
living together, ranges between 1 and 11, with
a mean of 3.86. With regard to employment,
most respondents self identify as entrepreneurs
or working in the private sector – see Table 2.
A total of 431 (95.8%) respondents live in the
capital city of Ulaanbaatar, with only 16 living
in the provinces/village center and 3 living in
the countryside.
Table 2: Respondents’ Employment Information
Employment Number Percent
Government organization 40 8.9
Nongovernmental
organization
58 12.9
Private sector 117 26.0
Entrepreneur/Business
Owner
168 37.3
Unemployed 11 2.4
Retired 18 4.0
Student 38 8.4
Total 450 100.0
The study attempted to identify if there were
differences between respondents depending on
whether their current dwelling was a single-
family house, an apartment, a traditional home
(ger) with a yard, or a ger in someone else’s
yard. We found that the type of dwelling did
not significantly determine the sources of
information individuals used to find housing.
However, we did find that most respondents
relied either on newspapers (197) or on
television advertising (120) out of 442 valid
respondents, rather than on friends or real
estate services. Not surprisingly, real estate
services are rarely used as information sources,
as they constitute a new service in the market,
and consumer are not used to consult them in
the process of searching for housing.
On the other hand, we found that one’s
current type of dwelling was an important
determinant of the price of the apartment
sought (Chi-Square=32.74, p<0.01). It also
appears that price was more of a consideration
for individuals living in apartments and
those living in a ger in someone else’s yard.
Individuals living in a ger in someone else’s
yard have fewer financial resources than those
owning a home or a ger with their own yard
and thus perceived price as a more important
consideration. Surprisingly, the reputation of
the building company, the design and structure
of the apartment, and the location were not
related significantly to the type of dwelling
owned.
The number of rooms one currently owned,
however, appeared to be an important
information variable, determining the source
of information individuals consulted (Chi-
Square=30.55, p<0.05). It appears that the
more rooms individuals have, the more
sources of information – other than friends
– they are likely to consult, in particular,
newspapers, television advertising, and real
estate information. It is important to note
that real estate services are more frequently
considered for those who owned more rooms,
compared to those who owned fewer rooms.
Alternatively, the fewer number of rooms
individuals had, the more they were likely
to rely on information from friends for their
housing decisions. Also, the more rooms
individuals had, the less they considered price
as an important variable (Chi-Square=100.33,
p<0.01), and the more they considered the
construction and design of the apartment (Chi-
Square=47.87, p<0.01). Also, the fewer rooms
one currently owned, the more important the
mortgage interest charged by the banks (Chi-
Square=37.86, p<0.01).
Surprisingly, there was no relationship
between the number of rooms one had and the
importance of the reputation of the builder.
This suggests that there is, for the time
being, a minimal concern with the builder
brand in Mongolia. This is explained by
the fact that there is substantial demand for
housing and very limited supply. As such,
the majority of Mongolian home purchasers
are concerned with the availability of new
homes, rather than with the added value that
builder perception could potentially provide.
As more builders compete for consumers and
more building stock becomes available, the
builder will increasingly become an important
consideration.