Housing needs of minority ethnic groups: evidence review

1. The evidence base

The literature on the housing needs of minority ethnic groups is largely made up of qualitative literature, often focusing on the needs of a diverse population in specific geographical populations. Some studies adopt a mixed methods approach, using quantitative methods to establish the population size and to gain insight into the demographics of minority ethnic groups across Scotland. This report focuses on academic and grey literature on the housing needs of minority ethnic groups in Scotland published between 2001 and 2020, taking as its starting point the Scottish Executive's 2001 Audit of research on minority ethnic issues in Scotland from a 'race' perspective^[7] (Netto et al. 2001), which although dated remains one of the most comprehensive studies on the topic. References are also made to studies from across the UK, where the findings are likely to be relevant or can supplement the Scottish studies. Two case studies have also been selected, which illustrate specific approaches and good practice in minority ethnic housing.

1.1 Terminology and scope

Throughout the literature a variety of terms have been used to refer to minority ethnic groups, including 'Black and minority ethnic groups' (BME), 'Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups' (BAME), 'ethnic minority' and 'minority ethnic groups'. Where possible, this report has retained the terms used in the various datasets and studies, recognising that the terminology used is likely to reflect specific categorisations in data collection. In the secondary data analysis, ethnic sub-groups are often grouped into the broad categories 'white Scottish/British' and 'minority ethnic' due to small sample sizes. In instances where terminology is not retained, for example where themes are drawn from a number of reports, the term 'minority ethnic' is used to reflect the preferred terminology in The Race Equality Framework for Scotland 2016-2030. Where the evidence gives detailed ethnic sub-groups, such as 'Asian', 'Chinese', 'Caribbean or Black' or 'African', these classifications are used where appropriate.

Throughout this report, the term 'minority ethnic' is used to refer to the 11% of the Scottish population whose self-defined ethnicity is not white Scottish/British (Scottish Government 2019a). This includes groups such as 'White Irish', 'White Polish', 'White Gypsy/Traveller' and 'White other'. This definition recognises that minority ethnic groups have distinct identities and cultural differences, and this report is based on a recognition of the differences between and within these communities. 

A greater proportion of the minority ethnic population in Scotland is made up of students than the white Scottish/British population. Combined Scottish Household Survey (SHS)^[8] data from 2017-2019, indicates that depending on ethnic group between 4%-19% of households with a minority ethnic highest income householder (HIH) contained residents in further or higher education (Scottish Government 2020a). Disaggregated data for white ethnic sub-groups is not available by economic activity in the 2011 Census, although analysis finds that 21% of non-white minority ethnic groups over 16 years of age were defined as economically-inactive students compared to 4% of the white population aged over 16 (National Records of Scotland 2016). Given the distinct needs and experiences of students, the specific housing needs of this population are not considered in this report, although they are likely to form a proportion of the sample in some of the studies (see section 2.4.8 for more information).

A sizeable proportion of the minority ethnic population is likely to be made up of refugees or asylum seekers (Home Office 2020). The literature reviewed in this report often covers the needs and experiences of these groups, however, this report does not seek to answer specific research questions about them. The New Scots: refugee integration strategy 2018-2022^[9] sets out an approach to support the vision of a welcoming Scotland for refugees and asylum seekers, and contains key actions on housing. A review of the existing evidence on these groups was published by the New Scots Evidence Group in 2019^[10].

1.2 Type of research

Qualitative studies explore the housing experiences of minority ethnic groups in the literature in a number of ways, with researchers recruiting participants living in specific tenures, experiencing homelessness or from specific ethnic communities. Where quantitative data was analysed, researchers tended to use a mixture of available data sources such as the 2011 Census, household surveys and administrative data, to provide an estimate of the population across Scotland and identify possible housing trends among minority ethnic groups. 

In the literature reviewed for this report, large-scale studies involving primary research were rare, as were longitudinal studies offering insight over time. However, there were several comprehensive studies that used secondary data analysis to provide an overview of available evidence. There have been few national studies, with small-scale qualitative studies predominating. 

Many studies highlighted the needs and experiences of specific groups, calling attention to the various facets of poor housing outcomes which minority ethnic groups experience. Other studies indicated the experiences of service users within housing services, while others interviewed service providers and employers. However, there were very few studies which sought to evaluate the extent to which organisations had mainstreamed minority ethnic housing needs or how the poor housing outcomes identified were being addressed.

Many studies were concerned with the experiences of minority ethnic people in a broad sense, although there were some attempts to reflect the diverse ethnic backgrounds within this population. Where studies did focus on a particular ethnic group, this tended to be either the South Asian population or migrants from the European Economic Area (EEA), in particular A8^[11] migrants (de Lima et al. 2007; Collins 2007; Hall Aitken 2007; Sim et al. 2007) There is little attention paid to the Chinese population, which was the second largest non-white minority ethnic group in the 2011 Census (National Records of Scotland 2016). There were several studies focusing on the experiences of older minority ethnic people.

A variety of techniques were used to recruit participants including use of 'trusted intermediaries' such as religious centres, community groups and voluntary organisations (Joshi 2020), housing associations/services (Netto & Abazie 2012; Netto 2006; Netto et al. 2004) or health workers. Purposive sampling and snowball sampling were common methods for recruiting participants. 

1.3 Limitations and assumptions

Methodological limitations include sample size, geographical scope, and dated results, with the 2011 Census remaining the most comprehensive data set available. Other quantitative data sources have small sample sizes, which prevents a detailed analysis of ethnic sub-groups. Some studies have been included in the review that are not based on research undertaken in Scotland. Although the findings are likely to be relevant, it is possible that they do not apply in the Scottish context.