The Impact of Housing Experience on the Well-Being of 1.5-Generation Immigrants: The Case of Millennial and Gen-Z Renters in Southern California

Abstract

Gentrification is a growing problem that impacts immigrants, particularly in Southern California where housing costs continue to rise. This study examines how Millennials and Generation Z—an understudied group of 1.5-generation immigrants—are experiencing housing instability. Because Millennials and Generation Z immigrants have grown up in a housing crisis, they are disproportionately affected by rising housing costs and a lack of affordable housing, contributing to poor well-being. Findings from 30 semistructured interviews with 1.5-generation immigrants reveal that these long-term renters experience extreme housing burden, precarious housing conditions, and displacement. Participants self-reported that over time, the stress of being housing insecure and being discriminated against as an immigrant has affected their sense of belonging and emotional well-being. This study contributes to a better understanding of the consequences of gentrification on immigrants and points to the need to explore how housing instability creates adverse health outcomes for various populations.

Keywords:

• 1.5-generation immigrants
• Millennials
• Generation Z
• gentrification
• housing instability
• well-being

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge and thank the California State University, Long Beach’s sociology students who conducted interviews for this project and whose insights contributed to the development of the article. We also thank our research assistants, Allison Leas and Kelliana Lim; our copy editor, Jordan Gonzales; and the CSULB Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) for its continued support of undergraduate research and our project.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2019, there were 2.2 million such first-generation children; immigrant children born outside of the United States (Migration Policy Institute, 2021).

2 A housing crisis describes a situation where there is a lack of affordable housing in a region.

3 Between 2005 and 2009, the loss of homes nationally contributed to a 54% decrease in wealth for Asian and Black households and a 65% decrease for Latinx households (Tippett et al., 2014).

4 For example, rents in Long Beach increased by 1.8% in 1 month, making it “the largest month-over-month increase for a major city in the nation” (Addison, 2022, p. 1).

5 Nativity status was not a question asked by the interviewers nor a focus of the larger study. Rather, participants shared this information with interviewers voluntarily.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Claudia Maria López

Claudia Maria López is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. Her research examines migration, housing, and global cities in the 21st century.

R. Varisa Patraporn

R. Varisa Patraporn is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. Her research examines the intersection of race/ethnicity, immigration, and housing and community economic development.

Suzie Weng

Suzie Weng is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach. Her research focuses on access to and utilization of social services through a cultural lens both in terms of barriers and interventions.