Public perceptions of housing improvement and self-rated health: World Values Survey, 2005-2007

Abstract

Purpose– Housing conditions affect occupants continuously, and health interventions have shown the positive association between housing investment and improvement in occupant health. Yet only rarely do we hear of the public's own perception of housing improvement internationally. The purpose of this paper is to explore public views on the importance of housing issues, from a worldwide perspective, in analysis of the global survey.Design/methodology/approach– Data were analyzed from the World Values Survey, 2005-2007, the most recent public data sets including demographics, self-rated health status, and beliefs on different social and political issues. Participants were those aged 15 and above. Analyses includedχ2 and logistic regression modeling.Findings– Less wealthy countries had the most people who considered housing improvement as top priority. Regions with more than 20,000 residents and lower scale of income levels were linked with higher proportions of people considering housing improvement as top priority. Additionally, people who reported very poor self-rated health tended to view housing improvement as top priority, compared to those who reported very good self-rated health.Practical implications– Public consensus is that there is an urgent need for housing improvement globally. Effective housing strategies and interventions optimizing population health, well-being, and quality of life are suggested.Originality/value– To the author's knowledge, this is the first study investigating public opinion on the importance of housing issues using a global, cross-sectional, population-based study for international comparison. Understanding the need on housing improvement from the general public would indicate possible policy reform in the coming decades.