Housing needs of minority ethnic groups: evidence review

6. Evidence gaps 

The findings reviewed in this report provide an overview of the housing needs of minority ethnic groups in Scotland. However, this remains a partial view and gaps in the evidence exist. 

The findings are drawn from a range of studies, most of which focus on the needs of small sub-sections of the minority ethnic population in specific geographical locations. The findings offer a snapshot of what life is like for the research participants and reveal a number of key issues that are of concern within and across policy areas. 

The research demonstrates that the minority ethnic population in Scotland is made up of a diverse range of groups and that many experience disproportionate levels of housing deprivation and disadvantage. However, there is considerable variation between and within groups

6.1 Key limitations

The available evidence on the demographic and geographic profile of the population is often dated or limited in terms of sample size, and this restricts the insight it offers. Although there are some studies focusing on the Scottish context, more recent studies tend to be UK-wide or more commonly focus on England. 

Small sample sizes also predominate in published studies, commonly leading to the grouping of ethnic sub-groups and meaning that the specific needs of these groups is largely obscured or under-explored. In addition, although clustering samples over several years has provided a sufficiently large sample for analysis, combining data in this way conceals trends over time that would be evident if there were larger sample sizes for each year. 

There is a lack of evidence on how mainstream services are responding to the needs of minority ethnic groups and how poor housing outcomes are currently being addressed. This makes it difficult to assess what progress has been made. 

What is evident, is that some minority ethnic groups experience poorer housing outcomes on certain indicators than their white Scottish/British counterparts. Given the disproportionate risk to minority ethnic groups in the context of Covid-19, more research is needed on how housing needs and aspirations may have changed in response to the pandemic.

6.2 Further research

• the cultural needs and housing aspirations of specific ethnic groups, particularly post-Covid-19
• whether minority ethnic people with other protected characteristics, such as gender, disability etc. have different housing experiences
• the current demographic and geographic profile of the refugee population
• how poor housing outcomes are currently being addressed 
• how and to what extent minority ethnic people are experiencing racism in social housing, and how this impacts on their housing decisions
• ways of facilitating greater engagement between mainstream and specialist housing services
• the impact of the PRT on specific minority ethnic groups 
• the housing needs and experiences of specific ethnic groups over time