Neighborhood Effects on the Long-Term Well-Being of Low-Income Adults

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1224648
• Publication Date: 2012-09-20T18:16:28Z
• Authors: Jens Ludwig; Greg J. Duncan; Lisa A. Gennetian; Lawrence F. Katz; Ronald C. Kessler; Jeffrey R. Kling; Lisa Sanbonmatsu
• Keywords: Adult; 330; Happiness; 1. No poverty; Disparities; Personal Satisfaction; United States; United States Government Agencies; Mental Health; Residence Characteristics; Social Conditions; Housing; Income; Quality of Life; Humans; Poverty

Location, Location, LocationIt seems obvious that a person's residential neighborhood will influence their sense of well-being, but it has been difficult to nail down cause and effect.Ludwiget al.(p.1505; see the Perspective bySampson) describe the analysis, 10 to 15 years onward, of a large-scale social experiment carried out in five U.S. cities in the mid 1990s. Several thousand residents of poor neighborhoods were given housing vouchers that could only be used if they moved into much less poor neighborhoods. In comparison to a similar group of individuals who did not move, those who did experienced substantial improvement in their subjective well-being.