Decisiones de tenencia de vivienday aculturación de la población extranjera residente en España

Abstract

The study of immigrants' adaptation to host countries is a complex task that requires the consideration of multiple sociological issues encapsulated in the con cept of acculturation. In the face of this, the decision to own a home involves a long-term perspective, associated with a wide array of determinants expressing the degree of success of immigration projects. Thus, this article uses homeownership in the host country to analyze the acculturation process of immigrants in Spain. We conclude that being foreign-born significantly reduces the likelihood of being a homeowner. Moreover, this feature represents the key variable explaining the significantly low homeownership rate exhibited among immigrants compared to natives in Spain. We argue that acculturation processes, when using the homeownership approach, rely on information-acquisition processes, which in turn present distinct patterns by immigrants' region-of-origin.