Housing tenure and unemployment. Generational inequalities in health and well-being

Abstract The 21st century has witnessed important developments in the Spanish property market, from the housing bubble to the current sharp rise in both purchase and rental prices that have well outstripped income. Moreover, high unemployment rates are determinant in material and psychosocial dimensions, with people's health and well-being being affected by both issues. This paper seeks to examine what impact housing tenure has on the relationship between health and well-being and unemployment, extending the analysis across generations to address the problem of economic insecurity and housing instability. We used data from the 2022 Spanish Survey of Living Conditions, and the selected sample included people who were in the labour force. In total, 26,657 individuals were considered. Of these, 54% belonged to the baby boom generation and 46% to generation X. Self-rated health and life satisfaction were dependent variables. Three types of housing tenure (outright homeowners, owners with a mortgage, and renters) were considered, and socio-demographic, economic, and psychosocial variables were taken into account. Several multilevel logistic regression models were carried out, after which housing-labour status interactions and their marginal effects were then calculated. Results show that renters, boomers, the unemployed and women were more likely to report poor self-rated health in both generations. All categories of the housing-labour status interactions reported poorer self-rated health than employed outright homeowners, except in the case of young owner-occupiers with a job and a mortgage. Tenants of both generations had the highest odd ratios. In terms of life satisfaction, the unemployed and boomers were more likely to be less satisfied. The unemployed of all tenure types -especially those with housing financial burdens- were more likely to report lower life satisfaction, with a significantly higher probability for Gen X renters and Boomers with a mortgage. Key messages • The financial burden of housing is particularly relevant for unemployed boomers. • Affordable housing policies and active labour market policies help to reduce feelings of economic and housing insecurity.