Housing Data: New Measures in the American Housing Survey · Housing Information in Data Sources...

Housing Data: New Measures in the

American Housing Survey

Denise Whalen

ICDR State of the Science in Disability Research Conference Washington, DC

July 13, 2011

● American Community Survey (ACS)

● American Housing Survey (AHS)

● National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

● Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)

● Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

Sources of Disability and Housing Data

Housing Information in Data Sources

ACS AHS NHANES PSID SIPP

Ownership x x x x x

Time in home x x x x*

Type of home x x x x*

Age of home x x x

Rooms x x x

Rent/Mortgage x x x x

Adequacy x x

Utilities x x x x x*

Assistance x x x

Value of home x x x*

* Information available in a periodic topical module; not available in main survey

● Surveys have various strengths

– ACS: large sample size

– AHS: detailed housing data

– NHANES: detailed health information

– PSID and SIPP: longitudinal data

Benefits of Data Sources

● Disability Supplements to the AHS

– Conducted in 1978 and 1995

– Disability (difficulty entering home, in-home mobility, personal activities, vision, hearing, need for modification/assistance due to a physical limitation)

– Home modifications (ramps, handrails, wide doors/hallways, etc.)

AHS & Disability Measures -

Supplements

● Receipt of disability benefits

– Received SSDI, workers’ compensation, veterans’ disability payments, or other disability payments

– Received Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

AHS & Disability Measures –

Benefit Receipt

● Six limitation questions:

– Deafness or serious difficulty hearing

– Blindness or serious difficulty seeing

– Serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

– Serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs

– Serious difficulty dressing or bathing

– Difficulty doing errands alone

AHS & Disability Measures –

New Questions

Disability Rates in the AHS,

People Age 18–64

Limitation Prevalence

Hearing disability 1.2

Visual disability 0.8

Cognitive disability 1.9

Ambulatory disability 3.3

Self-care disability 0.7

Independent-living disability 1.7

Any of the six limitations 6.0

Receipt of disability payments 4.7

Any of the six limitations or

receipt of disability payments 8.7

Disability Rates in the AHS,

People Age 18–64

Limitation Prevalence

Hearing disability 1.2

Visual disability 0.8

Cognitive disability 1.9

Ambulatory disability 3.3

Self-care disability 0.7

Independent-living disability 1.7

Any of the six limitations 6.0

Receipt of disability payments 4.7

Any of the six limitations or

receipt of disability payments 8.7

Disability Rates in the AHS,

People Age 18–64

Limitation Prevalence

Hearing disability 1.2

Visual disability 0.8

Cognitive disability 1.9

Ambulatory disability 3.3

Self-care disability 0.7

Independent-living disability 1.7

Any of the six limitations 6.0

Receipt of disability payments 4.7

Any of the six limitations or

receipt of disability payments 8.7

Shares of People with Disabilities

(Ages 18-64), by Disability Type

23%

32%

46%

Disability Payments andLimitations

Disability Payments Only

Limitations Only

● Rating of unit

● Size: square footage, persons/room, square feet/person

● Manufactured or mobile home

● Amenities: dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, central air conditioning, garbage disposal, stove or oven, fire extinguisher, carbon-monoxide detector, garage

● Deficiencies: holes in the floor, peeling paint, evidence of rodents, leaks inside or outside, toilet breakdowns, incomplete plumbing, unsafe drinking water, open cracks in the foundation, missing electrical outlets

Housing Characteristics

7.9

1.7

9.2

6.2

0.8

8.3

2.1

4.7

7.0

0.6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Rating of Unit(from 1 to 10)

Square Footage(1,000s)

Manufactured orMobile Home (%)

Number ofAmenities

Number ofDeficiencies

People with Disabilities People without Disabilities

Housing Characteristics,

by Disability Status (Ages 18-64)

● Rating of neighborhood

● Neighborhood wealth: median income, average fair market rent

● Benefits: access to public transportation, proximity to stores, satisfactory police protection

● Problems: crime, odors, noise, vandalism, presence of trash, proximity to roads in need of repair, proximity to heavy transportation

Neighborhood Characteristics

7.7

6.4

2.4 1.6

8.1

6.6

2.5

1.1

0

5

10

Rating ofNeighborhood (from 1

to 10)

Area Median Income(in $10,000s)

Number ofNeighborhood

Benefits

Number ofNeighborhood

Problems

People with Disabilities People without Disabilities

Neighborhood Characteristics,

by Disability Status (Ages 18-64)

● Public Housing

● Subsidized Rent

● Housing Voucher

● Rent Control

● Low-Cost Mortgage

Housing Assistance

3.3

10.8

4.9

0.8

3.1

0.8 2.0

0.8 0.6

2.8

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

PublicHousing

SubsidizedRent

HousingVoucher

Rent Control Low-CostMortgage

Perc

enta

ge o

f R

espondents

People with Disabilities People without Disabilities

Use of Housing Assistance,

by Disability Status (Ages 18-64)

● Differences in Housing and Neighborhood Characteristics by disability status are significant when controlling for other variables

● Above differences are amplified for people with multiple limitations or who receive SSI

Multivariate Analyses with the AHS

● Disability is a significant determinant of housing-assistance receipt

● The benefit of housing assistance varies by disability status

● For people with disabilities, housing vouchers and low-cost mortgages are the most beneficial housing programs

Multivariate Analyses with the AHS

● Measurement of Disability

– Missing groups? People with work-limitations, people with mental disabilities

– Detailed information on disability (severity, onset, specific diagnoses, functional status)

● Exclusion of certain living quarters

– transient accommodations, barracks, institutional-type quarters

● Limited subgroup analyses

● Longitudinal Information

What’s Missing from the AHS?

Contact Information

Denise Whalen Center for Studying Disability Policy Mathematica Policy Research 600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 550 Washington, DC 20024 (202) 554-7517 dwhalen@mathematica-mpr.com

www.DisabilityPolicyResearch.org