Children's Perceptions of Income-Related Housing

Ann Sloan Devlin
Connecticut College

Citation: Devlin, Ann Sloan (1994). "Children's Perceptions of Income-Related Housing." Children's Environments 11 (1): 36-48. Retrieved [date] from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/

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Abstract

This study sought to examine children's perception of the relationship between race and income level with housing accommodations as well as children's preferences for a variety of single-family and multiple-family accommodations. Sixty-three predominantly low-income children viewed a drawing of either a Caucasian brother and sister or an African-American brother and sister described as being either from a family with a lot or little money, creating a 2 (race) by 2 (income) between subjects design. Subjects were asked a series of questions about where the brother-sister pair resided using as possible alternatives three single-family (Ranch, Colonial and Mediterranean) and three multiple-family (Duplex, Low-rise and High-rise) housing alternatives. Results indicated a significant correlation between where the subject lived currently and the housing accommodation selected for the brother-sister pair, suggesting a familiarity hypothesis for decision-making.

Keywords: children, housing, race, income, preference stereotypes