Housing Status in Post-Soviet Contexts: A Multi-dimensional Measurement Approach

Abstract

This study draws on a novel survey in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine to develop a framework for conceptualizing and measuring housing status, a multi-dimensional construct reflecting positions in a housing stratification order. We employ structural equation modeling to confirm whether our measures reflect distinct dimensions of housing status. We validate our measurement approach by testing for distinct dimensional effects on subjective housing wellbeing. Our novel measures of housing tenure, quantity, quality, and wellbeing reflect post-Soviet intra-household differences in property rights; the cultural premium placed on having a room of one's own; constellations of amenities and comforts comprising quality; and the significance of a sense of autonomy for subjective housing wellbeing. Results demonstrate that the three dimensions of housing status-tenure, quality, and quantity-exert independent effects on subjective housing wellbeing, with consistent effects across the four study countries. Our systematic attention to measurement of housing status in post-Soviet conditions models an approach that scholars could adapt for other contexts, including but not limited to other post-communist societies.