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In Need of a Roof: Pandemic and Housing Vulnerability

Author

Listed:
  • Kusum Mundra

    (Rutgers University
    Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
    Global Labor Organization)

  • Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere

    (Agnes Scott College
    Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
    Global Labor Organization)

Abstract

Housing is a basic need and is intricately connected to a household’s health and wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the housing vulnerability for certain subgroups of the population and further jeopardized these household’s health and stability. Using the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) launched by the U.S. Census Bureau in April 2020, we examine the correlates of housing vulnerability during the pandemic. We explore heterogeneity in the evolution of housing vulnerability during the pandemic along demographic characteristics such as ethnicity and housing type (renter vs owner) and find that Asians experienced a unique increase in housing vulnerability, more than Hispanics and Blacks, particularly for Asian renters between 2020 and 2021. This possibly shows a chilling effect for Asians during the pandemic (2000–2022). We also note that not being employed, larger household size, lower levels of education, and income are positively correlated with housing vulnerability. We also find that households who indicate they worried in the last 2 weeks are significantly more housing vulnerable and worrying is more acute for renters.

Suggested Citation

  • Kusum Mundra & Ruth Uwaifo Oyelere, 2024. "In Need of a Roof: Pandemic and Housing Vulnerability," Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 27-44, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:joerap:v:7:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s41996-023-00128-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s41996-023-00128-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gabriel, Stuart A. & Rosenthal, Stuart S., 2005. "Homeownership in the 1980s and 1990s: aggregate trends and racial gaps," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 101-127, January.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Renter; Homeowner; Housing vulnerability; Pandemic; Ethnicity; Asian;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R2 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis
    • R3 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location
    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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