A psychological study was conducted to explore relationships between extent of home clutter and psychological home (the extent to which a person customises their home so it reflects their self-identity; Sigmon et al., 2002) with psychological variables related to mental well-being. In 2020-2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 501 adults (aged 16 to 92, with a wide spread of household income, with 80% identifying as a woman, and 84% residing in the UK, 42% renting and 54% owning their home) who completed self-report measures of perceived home clutter and psychometric scales of psychological home, mental well-being, perceived stress, positive affect and negative affect, life satisfaction, and a range of potential other variables including demographics, appreciation of beauty, location of survey completion, intention to declutter, time spent at home, and others.

A one-time (i.e. cross-sectional) online survey using JISC Online Surveys. The study was advertised at two participant recruitment websites (www.callforparticipants.com and www.surveycircle.com), as well as the university’s weekly email bulletin to all students and staff. After the participant info and informed consent pages of the survey, participants completed the measures in a fixed order. All data were anonymous.