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 selfesteem 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.
Although homelessness has been recognized as a serious and growing urban social problem, scientifically acceptable methods for estimating the composition and size of the homeless population have been lacking. A new research approach to estimating the size and composition of undomiciled urban populations is presented, and its utility is illustrated through a description of the literal homeless of Chicago. The homeless in the Chicago sample are unaffiliated persons living in extreme poverty, with high levels of physical and mental disability. Homelessness is interpreted as a manifestation of extreme poverty among persons without families in housing markets with declining stocks of inexpensive dwelling units suitable for single persons.
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