Yoko Mimura

The Effects of Economic Pressure on the Resilience and Strengths of Individuals Living in Extreme Poverty

Economic pressure has negative effects on families living in poverty that require much resilience and strength to cope. Although the strengths perspective upholds many human service values, literature on how it can be used to build resilience of these families is scarce. This exploratory study reports on the relationship between the constructs of economic pressure and resilience among N = 194 individuals living in extreme poverty. The authors found a significant relationship between economic pressure and resilience, with higher economic pressure being associated with less resilience. However, family income was not a significant factor between economic pressure and resilience. Discussion is directed toward practice, policy, and research in enhancing the resilience and strengths of families living in extreme poverty.

Examining the Connection Between Housing Counseling Practices and Long-Term Housing and Neighborhood Satisfaction

Housing counseling can increase homeownership opportunities for economically disadvantaged households. Prior research has generally viewed counseling as a means to reduce risk for mortgage lenders and insurers. This approach, which comes from the industry perspective, ignores important qualitative outcomes essential to a “successful” housing experience. This study focused on the end-user perspective by examining pre-purchase housing counseling agency practices that were associated with better long-term residential satisfaction outcomes of housing counseling clients within their respective communities. Clients from 26 housing counseling agencies in Philadelphia reported satisfaction levels with their dwelling unit and neighborhood at least 5 years after their home purchase. This study examined what pre-purchase housing counseling agency practices were associated with better long-term residential satisfaction outcomes of housing counseling clients within their respective communities. Certain practices, especially those signifying heightened accountability to outside reviewers, as well as initial one-to-one counseling sessions, were related to better long-term satisfaction outcomes.

Financial Information Source, Knowledge, and Practices of College Students from Diverse Backgrounds

Using cross-sectional data, we examined the financial information sources, financial knowledge, and financial practices of young adults, many of whom are first generation college students, ethnic minorities, and immigrants or children of immigrants. Participants (n = 1,249) were undergraduate students at a large regional comprehensive university. The general linear model results suggested personal financial information obtained from parents was positively associated with levels of financial knowledge and financial practices, and information obtained from other family members and college courses was positively associated with better financial practices. The findings suggest that parents and college personal finance courses may serve as positive inputs for financial socialization among young adults regardless of their demographic backgrounds.

An Analysis of Tenure and House Structure Type by Household Composition

This study examined the relation of household composition and characteristics with each of two variables, tenure status and structural type of residence. Past research related to tenure status has considered household composition and characteristics in a limited manner, and very little empirical work has addressed the relations of those variables with house structure type. The three structure types assessed were manufactured housing, multifamily site-built homes, and single-family site-built homes. The authors extended past research by considering more complicated household compositions and also identified the importance of knowing more complete information about all the residents of a home to understand both tenure and house structure type. Family composition and the presence of extended family members, an unmarried partner, and other unrelated individuals all explained di ferences in tenure and house structure type. The findings suggest the significance of family and household characteristics when understanding variations in tenure and house structure type.

Changes in Perceived Housing Quality Among Elderly Movers

Abstract This research focused on households headed by an older person who moved within a two-year period. Perceived changes in housing quality and the neighborhood characteristics were examined in order to further the understanding of the housing conditions that todays elderly face in the United States. Data from the American Housing Survey 1997 were used for this study. Overall, the findings suggest that the educational level of the household head, family size, reason for moving, reason for choosing the neighborhood, neighborhood rating, and tenure status before and after the relocation were associated with the variations in perceived change in housing quality after relocation. Physical neighborhood characteristics included in this study were not associated with the change in perceived housing quality.

Assessing the Pride of Housing Ownership options among Older Adults in Georgia

Abstract This experimental study involved the use of photographs of both single-family site-built and manufactured houses to determine if the knowledge that a certain house is manufactured would make older individuals feel less proud of living in such a house, compared to a single-family site-built house. Based on a total of 82 study participants, the findings of this pilot study suggested that when told the structure type of each house, participants were slightly less likely to choose a manufactured home as the house in which they would be the most proud to live. The researchers’ difficulty in communicating the concept of “pride” to the study participants was discussed as well.

The Influence of Financial Factors on Motivation to Save among Poor Individuals

This cross-sectional study of N = 194 low-income individuals compared socio-demographic and finance-related factors between those who reported having a motivation to save and those who did not report having some motivation to save. Theories and factors related to saving are reviewed. Logistic regression tests found that paying rent with cash, using voluntary income tax assistance to prepare taxes, and witnessing parents save money through financial institutions were positively associated with the likelihood of having a motivation to save. Overall, the study supports the significance of financial socialization and institutional mechanisms of saving. Discussions are directed toward efforts to help lower income families save.

Comparing Values of Manufactured and Equivalent Site-Built Homes in the Rural United States

Abstract This study examined the owner-reported market value of owned manufactured homes on owned land at the time of the survey and compared those data to self-reported market values for equivalent site-built homes. The data came from the 2009 American Housing Survey, and the sample included owned manufactured homes and site-built homes situated on owned properties that otherwise had equivalent characteristics. We considered homes located in rural areas (non-Metropolitan Statistical Areas) because rural areas comprise a majority of the manufactured home market. The hedonic price analysis was enhanced by the propensity score technique to compare property values of each type of home while accounting for the differences in house characteristics between the two structural types. The findings confirmed the owner-reported market value of manufactured homes were about a quarter of the value of otherwise comparable site-built homes located in rural areas, and the measured difference in owner-reported market values was slightly more when the propensity score technique was not utilized.

Exits from poverty among rural and urban black, hispanic, and white young adults

In recent decades, poverty among persons l iving in rural or nonmetropolitan areas has declined, but poverty in these areas is still higher than that of metropolitan areas, j From the mid-1980s to 1990 the economic performance of nonmetropolitan areas lagged behind that of metropolitan areas, with slower economic growth, higher unemployment, and greater underemployment. 2 Since 1990, the earnings, income, and poverty gaps have declined slightly as has the unemployment rate in rural areas. 3 However, when the economic conditions of minorities are analyzed over the same time period, Blacks and Hispanics have been significantly worse-off than Whites. On all economic measures--per capita income, median family income, poverty status, earnings, and employment status--minorities are worse off than Whites in both rural and urban areas, and in most cases, are worse off than their urban counterparts. 4 While a substantial amount of research has analyzed rural and urban poverty, most studies have examined cross-sectional data. Little is understood about differences in the dynamics of poverty among individuals and families in rural and urban areas. Ignoring poverty dynamics such as duration in poverty among the poor results in an incomplete understanding of the nature of poverty and the extent of need of those experiencing it. Duration of poverty refers to the number of years in which individuals

Family Characteristics and Educational Expenditures in Japan and the United States

This study examined family expenditures on education for children up to secondary school age in Japan and the United States to compare how family characteristics explain the variations in such expenditures differently in these countries. The data for this study were taken from the 2004 Japanese Consumer Panel Study and the 2004 U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey. The probability of having expenditures on childrens educations and the associated costs were analyzed simultaneously using double-hurdle models. Overall, families in Japan spent more when children were older, while families in the United States spent more when children were younger. Furthermore, homeownership status, mothers age, educational attainment, employment status, and marital status explained the variations in expenditures differently for Japan and the United States. The findings of this study supported the conclusions that the present situation reinforces intergenerational economic inequality in both countries and that the current family economic burden discourages the improvement of birthrates in Japan.