The social benefits of homeownership: Empirical evidence from national surveys

Abstract

Claims that homeownership is beneficial to both owners and society have not been examined empirically. This article explores evidence from the General Social Survey and the National Survey of Families and Households, supplemented by data from the American National Election Studies and several small but highly relevant researches, to determine whether owners and renters differ in a variety of ways. Strong differences in demographics were found. Small differences were found in some respects: Owners tended to be higher in life satisfaction and self‐esteem and more likely to be members of community improvement groups. On a wide variety of social issues—from political partisanship to ethnocentric views—owners and renters were essentially alike. Thus, it appears that the claims for some social and individual benefits from homeownership are supported, but only weakly. Recognizing that the exploratory analyses presented are not definitive, several strategies for more definitive future research are recommended.