Though fair housing laws have been in place for nearly 60
years, a majority of people — particularly renters, young adults
and people of color — report facing housing discrimination
- Fifty-seven percent of all respondents in a recent Zillow
survey reported experiencing housing discrimination of some
kind.
- LGBTQ+ individuals were most likely to say they have
experienced discrimination.
- However, fewer than half of respondents said fair housing is
important to them or their families — highlighting how much work is
needed to educate people about these laws.
SEATTLE, April 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Most people say they have
experienced housing discrimination, with younger generations,
renters, LGBTQ+ people and people of color more likely to say fair
housing is an issue facing them and their families, according to a
recent Zillow survey of 26 major U.S. metropolitan areas.
Although fair housing laws — which ensure equal and
nondiscriminatory access to housing — have been in place for
nearly 60 years, discrimination remains a stubborn factor in
housing, Zillow's latest Housing Aspirations Report shows. The
survey found a majority of respondents (57%) reported experiencing
some kind of housing discrimination, with groups such as LGBTQ+
populations reporting discrimination at higher rates. However,
overall, only 42% of respondents reported that fair housing impacts
them or their families, highlighting how much work is needed to
continue to educate people about their rights under fair housing
laws.
"April is Fair Housing Month, and this research shows how far we
have to go to make housing fair and accessible for all," said
Manny Garcia, senior population
scientist at Zillow. "Over half of respondents report experiencing
housing discrimination. Fair housing issues are more likely to be
top of mind for younger generations, likely attributable to their
higher likelihood of moving, renting and buying a home more
frequently than older generations, given their current stage of
life."
Seventy percent of respondents agreed that owning a home is
necessary to achieve the American dream, and nearly 80% reported
that owning a home is critical to building and passing on
generational wealth. However, exclusionary housing policies and
practices, plus a tight supply of housing and a variety of other
factors, have prevented aspiring BIPOC homeowners from purchasing
homes at the same rate as their white counterparts: While 74.5% of
white households own their homes, only 46% of Black and 49% of
Hispanic households own theirs.
According to Zillow's research, one of the most significant
obstacles preventing potential home buyers from accessing
homeownership is saving for a down payment. Addressing the down
payment barrier for first-time home buyers can help more people of
color access the benefits homeownership offers and can help close
the homeownership gaps between Black, Hispanic and white
households.
How Zillow is addressing fair housing
issues
Zillow includes information on down
payment assistance resources on every for-sale listing
on its site and app to help potential buyers connect to one of the
more than 2,000 assistance programs available across
the United States.
Last year Zillow advocated for the passage of the
Washington Covenant Homeownership Act. This new program will
provide financial assistance to support homeownership for people
impacted by housing discrimination in the state once excluded by
racially restrictive covenants.
This year, Zillow announced that renters who pay their landlords
through Zillow can now opt in to rent payment reporting to help
build or enhance their credit history, with on-time payments
reported to a major national credit bureau.
A patchwork of cities and just 23 states offer explicit fair
housing protections based on sexual orientation and gender
identity. To help LGBTQ+ people and their allies more easily
identify which homes are in jurisdictions that offer protections,
Zillow developed an LGBTQ+ Local Legal Protections tool, which adds
information on LGBTQ+ housing, employment and public accommodation
laws to all Zillow home listings across the nation.
Zillow works year-round to help bring about meaningful
change in the U.S. real estate industry; make home a reality for
more people; and to educate consumers about the history of housing
discrimination and the legacy it leaves.
Methodology
In order to gain a comprehensive
understanding of adults ages 18 and older, Zillow
Group Population Science conducted a representative survey of
more than 12,000 adults across 26 metros. The survey was fielded in
March and April 2024.
Sampling & weighting
Results from this
survey are representative of adults in each metropolitan area. To
achieve representativeness, ZG Population
Science used a two-pronged approach. First, the initial recruitment
to the sample was balanced to all adults from the U.S.
Census Bureau's 2022 American Community Survey (ACS)
on the basis of age, relationship status, income, ethnicity/race,
education and sex. Additional targeted subgroups were sampled based
on all key household demographic characteristics. Second,
statistical raking was used to create calibration weights to ensure
that the distribution of survey respondents matched each metro's
population with respect to a number of key demographic
characteristics.
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc.
(Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is
reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and
more people. As the most visited real estate website in
the United States, Zillow
and its affiliates help people find and get the home they
want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated partners
and agents, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting
experiences.
Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include
Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home
Loans℠, Trulia®, Out East®,
StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠,
Spruce® and Follow Up Boss®.
All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow
affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS
#10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2023 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a
Zillow affiliate.
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SOURCE Zillow, Inc.