Barriers to Home Ownership for Young People

Abstract

Objective: To examine the importance of housing for young people (up to 35 years old) in terms of security and family planning decisions, and to identify barriers to home purchases this cohort sees.

Research Design & Methods: The study draws on market-related data sourced from Statistics Poland (GUS) and the national bank of Poland (NBP), and on qualitative and questionnaire-based research conducted by the Poznań University of Economics and Business (Department of Investment and Real Estate).

Findings: Our work (which included two studies into the local housing market in Poznań) confirms a marked tendency towards home ownership. It demonstrates that young people consider it essential to have a home of their own for the sense of security it provides and that it may also be a decisive factor in family planning. Furthermore, young adults feel constrained by barriers when purchasing housing. Economic data on housing prices and earnings bear out their belief that prices are rising fast and their earnings are not. Importantly, economic barriers are not the only impediments to home ownership. Psychological and other obstacles also play a role.

Implications / Recommendations: The results of our research might be useful in assessing young people’s purchasing power. This in turn might inform the efforts to remove barriers to home ownership or when considering the introduction of support programmes to meet the housing needs of young people.

Contribution: The article contributes research on local real estate markets and the place of young people in them. It examines the potential barriers to entering these markets as perceived by individuals up to 35 years. It also describes ways such barriers could be eliminated.