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Measuring Housing Discrimination in a National Study Report of a Workshop (2002) / Chapter Skim
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3 Defining the Population of Interest
Pages 15-20

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From page 15...
... Participants noted that the target population differs from the population suggested by the sampling frame, and posed the question, What is the correct definition for the population given the sampling frame? The researchers responded that the actual population is the housing stock served by advertisements appearing in a site's major metropolitan newspaper on Sunday.
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From page 16...
... Urban Institute researchers pointed out that this sampling frame is quite different from one in which the sample of units is based on the distribution of where minorities currently live an alternative approach offered during the discussion of auditing in underserved communities (see Chapter 61. The researchers expressed concern about this latter modification because it would institutionalize outcomes that may be the result of discrimination.
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From page 17...
... .y minority community. POTENTIAL BIAS IN TEST SITE SELECTION Workshop participants noted that many larger metropolitan areas have newspapers targeted to particular ethnic communities.
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From page 18...
... DRAWING INFERENCES TO THE POPULATION OF INTEREST In assigning tester characteristics, researchers guarantee that auditors are qualified for the housing units. Workshop participants suggested that by allowing for individuals who are on the margin financially, analysts may miss the discrimination of interest.
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From page 19...
... Participants discussed whether the population from which the auditors are drawn is a fair representation of the people who are seeking housing, in other words, whether the audit findings can be used to generalize about the discrimination a typical couple would face in the housing market. Participants suggested that unobservable characteristics of the testers may represent differences from the population of home seekers and that these characteristics may not be eliminated through training or protocols.
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From page 20...
... Weighting audit results by housing unit size may not be particularly relevant, but weights should incorporate the various sources of information on housing availability, including major metropolitan newspapers, community newspapers, Internet-related databases, the Realtors(~) database (or MultiList)
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Key Terms

  • housing market
  • target population
  • housing units
  • housing stock
  • available housing

  • participants discussed
  • major metropolitan
  • alternative sampling
  • sampling source
  • underserved communities

  • researchers responded
  • community newspapers
  • sales housing
  • newspaper advertisement
  • advertisement sources

  • test site
  • metropolitan newspapers
  • researchers noted
  • issues arise
  • multiple neighborhood

  • approximate weights
  • receive similar
  • stock served
  • site selection
  • multilist available

  • neighborhood papers
  • seeking housing
  • five specific
  • tester characteristics
  • provides researchers


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