The Not-In-My-Property-Syndrome: The Cccurrence of Ethnic Discrimination in the Rental Housing Market in Belgium

• In Event: 130 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Race and Ethnicity in Education

Abstract

This paper aims at achieving a better understanding of rental housing market discrimination against ethnic minorities. Although much research concerning housing market discrimination has been undertaken both in the USA and in Europe, lacunae can still be pin-pointed. First, the association between the concentration of ethnic minorities in the neighborhood and discrimination and second, possible differences in the occurrences of discrimination against first and second generation migrants. Although previous research has examined these associations in the US, they have been neglected in the, highly different, European context, with different migration histories and lower levels of ethnic residential segregation. To investigate these associations and the occurrence of discrimination, we conducted a telephone survey. Data on 579 properties is linked to: (1) whether the fictive renter is a first or second generation migrant, (2) the rental price of the offered unit, (3) the percentage of minorities in the neighborhood and (4) the socio-economic background of the neighborhood. Using multivariate multilevel modeling, we found (1) that second generation migrants are discriminated against as often as first generation migrants, meaning that perfect language mastery offers no buffer against housing discrimination, (2) a curvilinear association between price and discrimination: there is more discrimination both for the cheaper and for the more expensive rental offers. (3) Contrary to previous research in the US, we found no association between the presence of minorities in the neighborhood and the occurrence of discrimination and (4) no association between discrimination and the socio-economic background of a neighborhood.

Authors

• Ad Coenen, Ghent University

• Koen Van der Bracht, Ghent University

• Bart Van de Putte, Ghent University