A Remnant of the Past? Jewish Homeownership Gaps in Montreal and Toronto, from 1971 to 2011

Abstract

Using the Canadian Censuses of 1971, 1981, 2001, and the Canadian National Household Survey of 2011, this paper compares the homeownership rates of Jews with non-Jews in Canadian urban areas as a whole, and in the cities of Montreal and Toronto. In this paper, I found that the housing career of Jews differs from that of non-Jews, with a lower homeownership rate, especially for seniors. For the entire period covered by this research, I found that Canadian Jews 60 years of age and older were substantially less likely to be homeowners. For Jews under the age of 50, I found a persistent lower homeownership rate in Montreal, while the homeownership gap of the younger cohorts appears to have faded in Toronto. I discuss the diaspora hypothesis as a potential explanation. In addition, I suggest that the results may indicate differences in the determinants of ontological security between Canadian Jews and non-Jews.