Neighborhoods unable to adequately satisfy perceived resident needs are susceptible to the migration of their inhabitants to areas that better address their needs. Using the American Housing Survey, the authors examine neighborhood satisfaction and its relationship to perceptions of residents living in both gated and nongated fee-based neighborhoods. The findings indicate that respondent age and the lack of knowledge of crime have the largest positive impact on how the residents rated their neighborhoods. While chronological age may have myriad possible influential factors, the simple knowledge by residents of neighborhood crime has implications for crime prevention and community awareness efforts.
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