Abstract
The impact of COVID-19 on various aspects of our life is evident. Proximity and close contact with individuals infected with the virus, and the extent of such contact, contribute to the intensity of the spread of the virus. Healthy and infected household members who both require sanctuary and quarantine space come into close and extended contact in housing. In other words, housing and living conditions can impact the health of occupants and the spread of COVID-19. This study investigates the relationship between housing characteristics and variations in the spread of COVID-19 per capita across Sweden’s 290 municipalities. For this purpose, we have used the number of infected COVID-19 cases per capita during the pandemic period—February 2020 through April 2021—per municipality. The focus is on variables that measure housing and housing conditions in the municipalities. We use exploratory analysis and Principal Components Analysis to reduce highly correlated variables into a set of linearly uncorrelated variables. We then use the generated variables to estimate direct and indirect effects in a spatial regression analysis. The results indicate that housing and housing availability are important explanatory factors for the geographical spread of COVID-19. Overcrowding, availability, and quality are all critical explanatory factors.
Highlights
Housing is essential for society and the economy, as well as for individuals and households
Our objective is to investigate the connection of the spread of COVID-19 per capita in Sweden’s municipalities with housing and the housing situation in these municipalities
We focus on the importance of the housing situation to general health and the spread of COVID-19 in particular
Summary
Housing is essential for society and the economy, as well as for individuals and households. The right to adequate housing is vital and represents a base for all economic, social, and cultural rights [1]. The right to housing enshrined by the UN is not just a right to a basic shelter, but to adequate housing, which includes a set of interlinked factors in terms of the physical structure of the housing. These include affordability, legal security of tenure, the immediate housing environment; the availability of services, facilities, and infrastructure; and the community, i.e., neighbourhood and social relationships, cultural adequacy, and collective efficacy [3,4].
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