An Investigation into Studentification in Preston

Abstract

Since the early 2000s, Studentification has been a topic of public discourse amongst academics, the local media and people within university towns and cities. Local people’s attitudes within Preston have been accessed through the use of questionnaires, in an attempt to establish the process of studentification- particularly within residential areas of the city where students were living within houses in multiple occupation (HMO) in close proximity to local residents. Through primary and secondary research, it was revealed that a large proportion of the local people studied, had predominantly negative experiences with students living in their neighbourhood. Local student’s attitudes were also assessed through the use of questionnaires in order to gain a balanced understanding of the impacts of studentification in Preston. This revealed that students within the city felt that they provided opportunities for regeneration and brought a general buzz to the city, in addition to providing an educated work force. Local businesses and service providers are regularly required to maintain and develop the needs of having a student population in Preston and thus generating revenue for all involved. Both residents and students when questioned felt that there was an evident social divide. This study would benefit from addition research over an extended period of time in order to assess potentially changing attitudes towards students, once the current construction of two new purpose built student accommodation sites have been completed.