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White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

Emerging trend - haven-making

Research by the Shelton Group has revealed a shift in how we feel about our homes and what makes it a home. For many years Americans' top priority for spending money on their homes was to "make my home more comfortable." That priority has been steadily decreasing, and a second priority has surfaced. Now we are also prioritizing safety and security. "Making my home safer" is now almost as high a priority as comfort.

However, safety is not replacing comfort. During the pandemic, these two desires have become increasingly intertwined. 'Safety and security' and 'comfort' are now tied to the emotional benefit of "making a house a home." Now, comfort and safety together help make a house a home.

The pandemic has changed how we think about comfort. People say that other than safety and security, comfort comes from the very air inside their homes.

The top priority for creating a safe and secure home is now "a space free of chemicals or allergens." 71% say that it is extremely/very important vs. 58% who say, "security systems."

So, the new meaning of home has changed "the place where I want to feel physically comfortable" to "my main source of safety and security, right down to the air I'm breathing."

This change of indoor air quality becoming an essential component of safety and security in the home was brought on by the pandemic when the very air we breathed turned against us. 37% of people are more concerned about indoor air quality now vs. pre-pandemic. Now more people than ever believe their home's health is directly related to their personal health.

Today a true home exists at the intersection of comfort, safety/security, and health. The Sheldon Group sees this as an emerging need for "haven-making."

Implications for LBEs

This change in what makes a home a home for people has implications for LBEs. The intersection of comfort, safety/security, and health now being a priority for people's homes strongly suggests it is also a criterion for the entertainment and social venues they choose to visit.

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