An examination of life‐course use of housing information by the elderly
An examination of the housing decisions of a group of elderly (n= 43) was undertaken to establish the nature of information used throughout the life course and to determine the degree of success of a variety of sources of information in promoting housing satisfaction. A purposive sample of elderly men and women in different tenure groups and house types, from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and encompassing ‘young old’ as well as ‘old old’ were interviewed to establish patterns of formal and informal information flow and to determine, as far as is possible, whether information was actively or passively acquired. 
 
 
 
As would be perhaps expected, elderly owner occupiers, and particularly those from socioeconomic groups I, II and IIIN had used, and continue to use, formal sources of information to a far greater extent than did elderly tenants who had been in manual occupations, who preferred (and had always preferred) to look to family and friends to satisfy their housing information needs. Written information on housing choices appeared to be of limited value to most elderly, although it may be the case that leaflets and booklets are inappropriate sources of housing information for all age groups, not simply the elderly.
Consumer Search and Public Policy
Consumers acquire information from a variety of internal and external sources. Sources differ in their abilities to convey different kinds of information. This paper examines the implications of these sources for designing government information programs. It emphasizes the need to examine the effects of information disclosures in the total information environment.
Effects of Prior Knowledge and Experience and Phase of the Choice Process on Consumer Decision Processes: A Protocol Analysis
Effects of prior knowledge and experience and phase of the choice on decision processes were investigated using a protocol coding scheme. Consumers with moderate knowledge and experience did more processing of available information than did the high or low groups. More knowledgeable consumers tended to process by brand. Consumers tended to use attribute-based evaluations in early and brand-based evaluations in later phases of choice.