Home ownership beyond asset and security. Perceptions of housing related security and insecurity in eight European countries

2007 "Sweden: To own or to rent" by Eva Andersson, pp. 225–257 in Marja Elsinga, Pascal De Decker, Nóra Teller & Janneke Toussaint (eds), Home ownership beyond asset and security. Perceptions of housing related security and insecurity in eight European countries. Housing and Urban Policy Studies; 32. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

Abstract
Changes in housing, welfare policies and labour markets situate households in new dynamics, roles and relationships. More and more European households are becoming homeowners: mortgage debts increase, but at the same time housing wealth accumulates. Further, welfare regimes are gradually dismantled, labour markets become more flexible and financial markets become more competitive. These changes impact on households’ perceptions and housing decisions. But how?
Can home ownership be considered a safe haven in a world that becomes more and more insecure? Do homeowners consider housing equity as additional income in old age? Is home ownership considered an asset that can be released in case of welfare needs? These are questions that lie at the core of this research project. This book reports on perceptions and housing strategies of more than 200 households in eight different countries. Countries that are situated in different parts of Europe and that have different histories, institutions, policies and cultures.