Public Perceptions of Affordable Housing

Project summary

The majority of people in the United States support affordable housing, but attitudes often shift when local developments are proposed. We seek to understand the role of the built environment in public perceptions and acceptance of affordable housing through mixed-methods analyses using quantitative and qualitative data. As civil engineers, we have a particular focus on the role of the building design and type in public perceptions and acceptance of affordable housing. Our goal is to leverage our understanding of the built environment to identify paths to social acceptance that developers and municipalities can implement and that will be good for the environment and good for community health and wellbeing.

Driving Questions

What knowledge and perceptions of affordable housing does the public currently have?
What role does the built environment play in public perceptions and acceptance of affordable housing today?
What demographics and characteristics predict affordable housing support in one’s own neighborhood today?

Major findings

Through quantitaive analysis of our nationwide survey (N=534), we find that negative emotional associations with the idea of affordable housing, as well as racist beliefs, contribute significantly to neighborhood-level opposition.
We provide evidence for racism and affect being mediating factors acting in series to shape support of affordable housing.
In addition to racism, individuals’ affect can help explain the shift from support of hypothetical scenarios to opposition of real affordable housing development proposals.
Past actions, federal government trust, and personal exposure were found to be significant predictors of support.
Machine learning expedited qualitative analysis and revealed new potential pathways to support.

Publications

Understanding How Racism and Affect Impact Public Opinions Toward Affordable Housing in the United States
Douglas, I.P., Chan, D., Bencharit, L.Z., Billington, S.L. (2024) Journal of Planning Education and Research, Feb. (Link)

In Their Own Words: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Public Perceptions of Affordable Housing and their Connections to Support
Douglas, I.P., Skillicorn, A.T., Chan, D., Bencharit, L.Z., Billington, S.L. (2024) Cities, V 154, 105383 (Link)