There is a political consensus that Britain faces a ‘crisis’ caused by a lack of affordable housing. Solutions to the housing ‘crisis’ rely largely on market solutions. This briefing explores the ‘ethnic penalty’ in housing and its implications for the proposed solutions to the housing “crisis”. It uses 2011 Census microdata to explore the likelihood of black and minority ethnic groups experiencing housing deprivation (ONS, 2015a), focusing in particular on the experiences of households from Gypsy and Traveller, Black African and Bangladeshi background, as well as those with children and migrants.
Key messages
- Ethnic housing deprivation reflects structural inequalities in the housing market. They cannot be solely accounted for by where ethnic groups live, social status, their age, family structure or when they arrived in Britain.
- White Gypsy and Irish Traveller households are seven and a half times more likely to experience housing deprivation than White British households. Households living in London and those with children are more vulnerable.
- Black African households are 75 per cent more likely to experience housing deprivation than White British households. Those who live in London (and probably other major cities), rent their property, live in larger households, have routine occupations or are studying are most vulnerable.
- Bangladeshi households are 63 per cent more likely to experience housing deprivation than White British households. Those who live in London, rent their property, live in larger households, have children and are unemployed or studying are most vulnerable.
- Households with children are more likely to experience housing deprivation. This effect is increased for most ethnic groups. Bangladeshi and Pakistani households with children are most vulnerable.
- Recent migrants to the UK are more likely to experience housing deprivation than those born here.
Sections
- Why does housing deprivation matter?
- Structural inequalities in the housing market
- Which groups are most likely to experience housing deprivation?
- Households with children
- Migration
- Policy implications
Author(s): Nigel de Noronha
Corporate author: Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE), University of Manchester
Briefing series: Better Housing Briefing Paper 26
Publisher: Race Equality Foundation
Publication date: April 2015
