SK D&D Episode, Publication of First Global Coliving Trend Report

More than 78% of respondents say they want a "new experience" more than economic benefit

• Worldwide Coliving Membership (WCM), which is operated and established by SK D&D Episode has published its first project, the Flexible Living Trend Report 2023 Vol. 1
• Survey of coliving space residents in 5 countries for the purpose of understanding their perceptions, satisfaction, and use of services
• Prioritization of "new experience" over economic benefit … high levels of trust in coliving spaces operated by corporations

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With SK D&D Episode, the Flexible Living Trend Report 2023 Vol.1, Life in Coliving Space, on global trends in coliving has been published by Worldwide Coliving Membership (WCM).

WCM is an international private organization of coliving brands and coliving operators from around the world that is established and led by Episode. Currently 7 companies in 7 members' countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, the Philippines and Australia have joined as members and are engaged in activities to networking towards promoting and developing coliving culture, sharing insights and partnerships. And, it plans to expand its coverage to continents around the world by securing more than 20 additional members in year 2023.

As part of the effort, WCM carried out this survey project to acquire and analyze information on residents' lives and their satisfaction with spaces and services to gain insights into a better urban life. The survey was administered to 462 participants living in 5 different countries (South Korea, Japan, Spain, the Philippines and Australia). The survey was conducted online with questions asking residents' views on coliving as well as their satisfaction levels. Additionally, the survey probed participants' interest in sustainability and their views on environmental practices.

According to the report, residents of coliving spaces prioritize "new experiences" over economic factors. Out of all respondents, 78.8% said they wanted 'new experiences' such as the space provided by colivng and hobbies through the communal spaces, which was higher than the who cited 'cost reduction(57.6%)'.

Residents cited "communal areas" as the biggest advantage of coliving. In particular, 81% of respondents who had experience using communal spaces said that they have had a "new experience" through using communal spaces in coliving housing. And, more than half of the residents(58%) said that coliving made them feel closer to their neighbors. Many residents of EPISODE said that they had new experiences through community programs and communal spaces while building closer local networks, leading to positive evaluations and analysis.

Also, 86.6% of respondents said that the fact that the coliving space is managed by a corporation not by an individual had a positive impact in their living experience. The reasons for this were excellent management of facilities, financial safety, along with effective communication, and differentiated residential services.

A spokesperson for SK D&D said, "While better urban lifestyle and a more sustainable life are common interests of all individuals. This survey has been of great help in understanding the common values or differences of residents of different cultural and social backgrounds."

"Moving forward, Episode will continue to make efforts to conduct various kinds of research to deduce what users value and reflect that in our spaces and services," the spokesperson added.

The report was published as a digital document and the full version can be viewed on the Episode's official website.

Also, Episode was recognized with a 2021 Coliving Award for Best Coliving Operator. The company has also been recognized in various international settings for sustainable marketing and design by winning silver at The Content Council 2022 Pearl Awards and platinum at The2022 MarCom Awards.

Episode operates WCM to encourage coliving brands, operators and residents around the world to interact and provide advantage of discounts and benefits from global coliving operators. Participating operators in different countries including Campus Perth in Australia, Coimpact Coliving in Spain, EPISODE in Republic of Korea, Gravity Coliving in the United Kingdom, MyTown in the Philippines, POHA House in Germany and Share house 180 in Japan have currently been joined in the membership.

*SK D&D Episode official website

Korean: https://www.epsd.co.kr/

English: https://www.epsd.co.kr/en/