The socialization of adolescent housing awareness

Abstract

Adolescent attitudes toward housing are influenced by established norms, particularly preferences for single-family detached dwellings, years before making independent housing-related decisions. In today's challenging homeownership landscape, this study, guided by housing adjustment theory, explores the timing and factors shaping adolescents' awareness of housing. In surveying 12–18-year-old 4-H participants in a Southeastern state, age emerges as a pivotal factor, with awareness of housing by at least age 12. The impact of housing costs on participants' responses suggests exposure to broader affordability challenges. Analyzing these early experiences may offer educational opportunities to empower adolescents to make informed housing decisions later in life.