Even so, the research does tell us that, for a considerable number of people, the village solution has not lived up to their expectations.
Continuing my analysis of the facts of village life’ as revealed in the 2011 McCrindle Baynes village survey of 10,500 residents, I shall review perhaps the best test of true resident ‘happiness’.
The question was: After living in your village for a number of years, would you make the same decision again?
In response, nine per cent said ‘no’; while seven per cent said no, they would not move into this village again – but they would move into a village again.
At the same time, when asked how satisfied they were with their village compared to the expectations they had when moving in, 11 per cent said they were not at all satisfied.
What does this mean?
Clearly a consistent group, upon reflection, is not happy to be in their village. However, we need to consider the context and, being humans, there is likely to be a range of reasons for feeling unhappy. Some reasons will be related to aspects of village operations while some will also relate to personal circumstances.
Sadly, with 48 per cent of the sample of residents having been in their village for six years or longer, there will be a strong component of loss of spouses and some experience of declining health. These factors and events will inevitably impact overall views of life and satisfaction.
At the same time, the reasons that drove the decision to sell the family home and join a village all those years ago, may have faded or become forgotten; while the memories most remembered of that past life may be only the happy ones.
Even so, the research does tell us that, for a considerable number of people, the village solution has not lived up to their expectations.
It suggests that the understanding people had of the village life when they joined, was possibly insufficient, unclear or not realistic. Interestingly, 42 per cent took less than 2 months to choose their village.
This suggests that prospective residents may sometimes rush in to the decision to join a village, whereas it might pay to take the decision more carefully.
