| Title |
A Study of Housing Adjustment of Korean Immigrants in the Houston Metropolitan Area |
| Abstract |
This study addressing the trend of immigrant housing adjustment is based on 326 Korean immigrant households in the Houston metropolitan area. Three types of housing adjustment-residential mobility, home improvement, and move and improve option-are examined. The data are obtained in three steps: (1) site visits, (2)self-administrated group survey in a form of cluster sample which is composed of six Protestant churches, one Catholic church, and one Buddhist temple, and (3)oral interviews with ten survey participants. As a result of self-administrated group survey,60.5 percent of response rate with questionnaires(326 out of 539 households) are obtained. The interviews are conducted to corroborate the questionnaire results. Several findings are obtained. First, functional/structural housing needs are more predominant than traditionally-driven cultiral amenity needs among Houston Korean households. Second, a particular mode of housing adjustment is found. That is, certain aspects of the immigrants' traditional ways of life related to housing(putdoor fence, wooden-floored room, barefooted living or location) are added to the new living environment of the host society. As applied to housing variables, third, cultural amenity needs are a decresing function of acculturation to the host society. Fourth, both funtional/structural and cultiral housing needs tend to be resolved through mobility, rather than home improvements. Finally, the move and improve option is not popular among Houston Korean households. |