People’s homes can have a direct effect on their health and well-being. While safe and affordable housing contributes to a better quality of life for adults and children, unhealthy or unstable home environments can put them at risk for poor physical, mental, and social outcomes. Therefore, housing (or lack thereof) is an important social determinant of health.
Housing Insecurity: The PRC National Health Survey finds that housing affordability is a concern for nearly one-half of Americans, with 45.8% of US adults reporting that they were “always,” “usually,” or “sometimes” worried about paying their rent or mortgage in the past year. This is found to be highest in the western states (51.5%) and more broadly in urban areas. Unsurprisingly, it is strongly correlated with age and income. Along with younger adults and lower-income households, demographic groups reporting mortgage or rent stress include women, Hispanic adults, Black or African American adults, and LGBTQ+ adults.
Fill out the form below to download our National Health Survey brief.