The ‘frustrated’ housing aspirations of generation rent

Project Summary:

While policy has acknowledged the housing and demographic shifts affecting young people, there has been a varied response by governments towards mitigating the housing insecurity young people can experience. Through qualitative investigation of the emotional impact of frustrated housing aspirations this exemplar project seeks to provide a better understanding of the potentially damaging personal experiences of the ‘housing crisis’, and broader of austerity, on contemporary youth. Moreover, it forces us to confront how housing issues intersect with the wider labour market, educational and income inequalities.
The project will provide qualitative evidence, including the use of novel photo elicitation methodology and interviews with private renters in England and Scotland (aged 18-35), to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and emotional attachment to home for those living in the private rented sector as opposed to home ownership. The project will provide qualitative evidence to further influence policy, and facilitate learning from policy developments in different parts of the UK.

Timeline: February 2018 – August 2018

Team: Dr Kim McKee (Co-I), Dr Adriana Mihaela Soaita (RA) and Dr Gareth Young (KE)

Theme: Choice

View the final report:

Lead author, Dr Kim McKee, also highlights the key findings in this short video