DP6490 Ethnic Identity and Immigrant Homeownership

Author(s):	Amelie Constant, Rowan Roberts, Klaus F Zimmermann
Publication Date:	September 2007
Keyword(s):	ethnic identity, ethnicity, homeownership, immigrant integration, immigration
JEL(s):	F22, J15, R21, Z10
Programme Areas:	Labour Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=6490

Immigrants are much less likely to own their homes than natives, even after controlling for a broad range of life-cycle and socio-economic characteristics and housing market conditions. This paper extends the analysis of immigrant housing tenure choice by explicitly accounting for ethnic identity as a potential influence on the homeownership decision, using a two-dimensional model of ethnic identity that incorporates attachments to both origin and host cultures. The evidence suggests that immigrants with a stronger commitment to the host country are more likely to achieve homeownership for a given set of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, regardless of their level of attachment to their home country.