Methodology
We’ve been publishing the Life at Home Report since 2014. Each year, we pull back the curtain on home life to explore how people live and what brings them joy or challenges. We ask. We listen. And we share the findings. Our aim is to understand what makes a better life at home.
2023 report methodology
A nationally representative sample of 37, 428 people aged 18+ were surveyed across 38 countries. We surveyed over 1000 people each from 36 countries and over 500 from two. Quantitative surveys were conducted by YouGov using online CAWI (computer-assisted web interviewing) method. Data was collected from May to June 2023.
Data for each country was weighted according to the dimensions of gender, age and geography so that the results were representative of the population in the target group. Each country has the same weight in global results. Chile and New Zealand were given added weight to make sure their results were equal to those from other countries despite their lower numbers of respondents.
For story gathering, eight home visits were conducted by the IKEA team: One in Stockholm and one in Malmö, Sweden, two in New Delhi, India, two in New York, USA, one in Tokyo, Japan and one in Matsumoto, Japan.
The 2023 report used data collected from surveys and home visits. It also used data from IKEA Life at Home Reports 2014-2022.
The futures section is based on an internal foresight exploration done with Human Futures Studio focusing on emerging shifts of the home.
Decade overview methodology
Between 2014 and 2023, more than 250,000 people were surveyed. In most years, we conducted qualitative in-depth interviews in addition to the surveys. Qualitative methods included home interviews, online communities, mobile ethnography, and online in-depth interviews.
As qualitative insights were critical in all reports, during the 2020 pandemic, home visits were conducted online so that the research could continue.
We thank United Minds, C Space, IPSOS, CrowdDNA, Mindspark, YouGov, Human Futures Studio and Given Agency who have partnered with us at different stages of the Life at Home Report from 2014 to today.
Making the Life at Home Report
The IKEA Life at Home Report gives us the opportunity to dig deeper into life a t home around the world, and how we can make it better. Over the last 10 years, it’s become one of the largest and most distinctive research projects of its kind, involving a mix of approaches and partners to explore the needs and dreams of people all over the world.
Home visits are at the heart of everything we do at IKEA, including the Life at Home Report. Meeting people where they live gives us a greater and more empathetic understanding of the challenges they face at home. In addition to home visits, our research methodology always includes a nationally representative survey across a wide range of countries, and we work with world class research agencies to ensure that our data collection is robust and representative.
The Life at Home Report began in 2014 exploring the practical aspects of home, and over the years has expanded into the emotional landscape of how people live. One of the most distinct qualities of the Life at Home Report is exploring how people feel about where they live, and not just what they do there.
This blend of functional and emotional insights helped to develop a framework which presents eight emotional needs for a better life at home. This year, the research survey was based on these eight emotional needs of home.