Distressed homeowners more likely to vote

BOSTON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. homeowners in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to vote than renters and homeowners in more privileged communities, researchers said.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill led by sociologist Kimberly Manturuk investigated the relationship between homeownership and political participation and found that as neighborhood disadvantage increases, homeowners become more likely to vote while renters are less likely.

Manturuk studied a sample of 1,088 owners and 1,530 renters in 30 metropolitan areas from the Community Advantage Panel study, which follows a group of low- and moderate-income homeowners and a matched comparison group of renters, collecting data on household and community characteristics to assess the social and economic impacts of homeownership.

"In distressed and downtrodden neighborhoods, homeownership is a catalyst for political participation and neighborhood revitalization," primary investigator Manturuk said in a statement. "By engaging residents in local issues, homeownership contributes to the re-empowerment of urban communities."

The findings were presented at the American Sociological Association's 103rd annual meeting in Boston.