New research from Saul I. Stern Professor of Civic Engagement Shanna Pearson-Merkowitz finds renters face many challenges both in their living situations and in their communities.
Since 2020, Pearson-Merkowitz and University of Rhode Island Professor Skip Mark have been studying New England residents' housing experiences. To learn more about the experience of renters with housing stability, discrimination and community, the research team surveyed 800 renters across Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
The results suggest that renters across New England face compounding burdens, from crushing housing costs that compromise basic survival to fraying community bonds, with low-income and non-white renters bearing a disproportionate share of these pressures. Housing affordability is a severe and widespread problem among renters in New England. Over half of all renters spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and nearly one in five spend over half their income on housing costs. This financial strain directly affects basic needs, with roughly a third of renters reporting that rent makes it difficult to afford food or healthcare. Disparities along racial and income lines are pronounced throughout: low-income and non-white renters face higher rates of discrimination from building management, greater exposure to crime, less reliable transportation and more difficulty accessing essential services like healthcare, grocery stores and childcare.
Safety and community connection emerge as two additional fault lines in the renter experience. Crime is a serious concern for more than half of all renters, particularly among non-white respondents. While overall trust in local police is relatively high with roughly three-quarters of renters feeling police treat them with dignity and keep them safe, that trust is much lower among low-income and non-white renters. On the community side, social ties among neighbors are thin: fewer than 40% have regular face-to-face conversations with neighbors, only a third would feel comfortable leaving a spare key with one, and just 5% say they know all of their neighbors. Social isolation is also a notable concern, with over a quarter of all renters frequently feeling lonely, a figure that climbs sharply among low-income renters. This points to a broader sense of disconnection that compounds the financial pressures renters face.
Taken together, these findings point to an urgent need for policies and practices that address not just the cost of housing, but the broader inequities shaping how renters experience safety, community and dignity in their daily lives.
