Research Opportunity: Understanding Public Perceptions of Affordable Housing
This research opportunity is part of the Urban Studies Research Program. Students who participate will work with their faculty mentor, and will also share their findings at a research symposium with students and faculty working on other projects. To learn more about the Urban Studies Research Program, see our website.
Project Title: Understanding Public Perceptions of Affordable Housing
Faculty Member: Sarah Billington
Abstract: One reason for the lack of affordable housing in the Bay Area, in particular for low- and very-low income families results from communities perceiving affordable housing in a negative light and therefore taking action to prevent affordable housing from being built. Our collaborative research seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What are people’s perceptions of what counts as affordable housing projects? (2) What aspects of building design are prevalent in the public's mental model of affordable housing? (3) Do certain perceptions of “what counts as affordable housing” and "what features affordable housing includes" differ between those who are motivated to take action (either support or resist) and those who do not? We are conducting online surveys collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, reviewing local project successes and failures, and conducting in-depth, in-person interviews.
- Assist in creating surveys in Qualtrics; Code qualitative data using e.g., NVivo or Dedoose
- Analyze data using R and other statistical software
- Review local project data through city council meeting records, social media, and news organizations
Qualifications:
A statistics class and knowledge of R is a plus, but not required.
Enrollment & Academic Standing
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Students must be current undergraduates in good standing at Stanford.
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Students must be enrolled in units while using VPUE grant funding, except during the Summer.
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Students may not receive both academic units and a stipend for any single project activity.
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Co-terms who have not conferred their undergraduate degree and who are still paying undergraduate (not graduate) tuition are eligible for VPUE funding.
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Students may not be serving a suspension.
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Students may not be on a Leave of Absence (LOA) while using grant funding.
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VPUE does not use a GPA requirement for student eligibility, nor does VPUE encourage the use of GPA as a criterion for inclusion in a research opportunity.
Quarters Available:
- Summer, full-time
Stipend:
Full-time projects: $7500 + up to $1500 based on financial need and student qualification. Read more about stipends.
