The Mediating Effect of Subjective Housing Quality on the Relationship Between Housing Conditions and Mental Health: Evidence from China’s Mega-Cities

This study examines the mediating effect of subjective housing quality between housing conditions and mental health, using survey data from ten Chinese mega-cities. The results from multi-level linear regression models show that housing areas are highly associated with subjective housing quality and that renters have lower levels of subjective housing quality than homeowners. At the community level, the age of housing tends to diminish its subjective quality, while a lower plot ratio is associated with more favorable evaluations of housing conditions. Surprisingly, educational resources in proximity to housing are negatively associated with subjective housing quality. Subjective housing quality is closely linked to mental health. Additionally, the results show that home ownership significantly strengthens the association between subjective housing quality and mental health. Namely, the mediating effect of subjective housing quality on the relationship between housing conditions and mental health is stronger for homeowners than for renters.