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Penn State University geographers who carried out a mail survey in 12 rural Pennsylvania counties found that mobile home residents were "overwhelmingly satisfied" with their housing choice, the researchers said in a release.

Despite citing drawbacks such as the stigma of living in housing associated with low-income, cold floors, burst water pipes or specialty fixtures that cannot be purchased at hardware stores, the survey's authors found "residents were overwhelmingly satisfied with their housing choice despite the problems, and that points to a real opportunity for housing policy to address issues and improve the quality of life for mobile home residents."

The survey elicited 385 responses. The results showed 48 percent of the respondents cited affordability as a benefit. Another 47 percent said the interior layout of the mobile unit contributed to their satisfaction.

Mobile homes should be a component of affordable housing initiatives in rural Pennsylvania even though they are "largely ignored by policymakers attempting to solve affordable housing problems", said Destiny Aman, a Penn State graduate student in geography.

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