Data & Statistics
Impacts of Homeownership on children
Figure 4: Means for Households Who Were Homeowners Throughout 1988-
94, Renters Throughout 1988-94
| Variable Tenure |
Owner |
Renter |
| HOME: Cognitive/Physical |
60.1 |
38.1 |
| HOME: Emotional |
61.3 |
37.3 |
| PIAT: Mathematics |
54.7 |
40.1 |
| PIAT: Reading |
63.3 |
48.2 |
| Behavior Problems |
62.5 |
68.0 |
Being a homeowner is highly significant and it improves the index of the cognitive stimulation/physical environment by 23 percent.
In the emotional support home environment estimation we find that being a homeowner is significant and strong. It improves the index of emotional support by 13 percent.
(From a Harvard Study. Other significant variables that impact these numbers include: Marital status of parents, educational levels, and percent of localities households in poverty. But, the study concludes that homeownership does indeed heavily impact these outcomes.) LINK

Specifically, there are four major areas of social benefits to homeowners with respect to their families and their local communities:
- Children of homeowners are likely to perform higher on academic achievement tests and are more likely to finish high school. Furthermore, children of homeowners have fewer behavioral problems in school and are less likely to become pregnant as teenagers. These outcomes survive many controls for parental education, martial status, and other statistical comparisons, as well as neighborhood characteristics.
- Political activity, like voting, as well as participation in civic organizations is higher among homeowners than renters after controlling for personal characteristics and socioeconomic status.
- Homeowners, again once controls are in place, are more satisfied with their lives and are happier.
- Some of the most recent research suggests that a high level of homeownership in neighborhoods enhances property values.LINK
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