In the Marketing & Sales Management master’s program, students conducted a survey of over 900 people as part of a business field project with Raiffeisen Bausparkasse. The results were recently presented to members of the press.
During the 2025–26 winter semester, students in the Master’s program in Marketing & Sales Management were tasked with developing marketing concepts for Raiffeisen Bausparkasse that specifically support young people in taking the first step toward financing a home. The project was based on a panel survey of 988 young adults (aged 25–40) in Austria, conducted by the students. Senior Researcher David Bourdin presented the results of the market research at a press conference on the topic “Between Desire and Reality: Young People and Affordable Housing” held at the Raiffeisen Bank on April 13, 2026. He supervised the business field project on behalf of FHWien der WKW together with marketing expert Karin Lehmann.
The results showed:
- One in two people worry about their finances at least somewhat frequently.
- 15 % of the target group has less than € 50 in disposable income per month. Parents of two or more children have the highest disposable income.
- Contrary to common stereotypes, the results show that predictability and security are more important to young adults than flexibility and returns.
- The dream of home ownership remains alive: 55 % plan to change their living situation in the coming years.
- Just under two-thirds of them want to become homeowners—most notably those with only one child.
- The primary motivation for the dream of home ownership is the psychological sense of independence and having “something of one’s own,” even ahead of rational motives and financial considerations.
Matthias Reith (Senior Economist at Raiffeisen Research) then spoke about the macroeconomic conditions and their impact on the housing market, while Christian Vallant (Managing Director of Raiffeisen Bausparkasse) provided insights into current developments from the perspective of home saving plans.
Media coverage of the press conference: