Do Europeans view their Homes as Castles? Home Ownership and Poverty Perception throughout Europe

Citation

Watson D & Webb R (2009) Do Europeans view their Homes as Castles? Home Ownership and Poverty Perception throughout Europe. Urban Studies, 46 (9), pp. 1787-1805. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098009106020

Abstract
The paper investigates the notion that homeownership affects poverty perception. This is investigated by utilising a logit model to analyse various characteristics of homeowners in 11 different European nations. Overall, the analysis fails to reject the notion that homeowners throughout Europe are less likely to perceive themselves as living in poverty, but no evidence is found that homeownership is more valued in nations with high owner-occupancy rates. However, support is found for the notion that homeownership is used as a form of security in countries that experience greater income inequality.

Keywords
Home ownership; Housing; Relative poverty; Housing policy; Housing market; Home ownership rates; Mortgage loans; Public assistance programs; Income inequality

Journal
Urban Studies: Volume 46, Issue 9

People

Professor Robert Webb

Professor of Banking and Appl. Economics, Accounting & Finance