Does housing instability matter for youths’ educational attainment? Findings from Swedish longitudinal register data

There is an ample body of research demonstrating the link between housing instability and adverse outcomes. The bulk of this research, however, largely relies on broad operationalizations, generally not considering different types of housing instability. This study extends previous research by focusing on adolescents facing a variety of residential events, including moves, imminent threats of eviction and forced relocations, while also considering the significance of distance. Adopting a counterfactual approach, and drawing on unique data on evictions in Sweden alongside a link to longitudinal registers, this study examines the association between housing instability and educational attainment, operationalized as graduation from upper secondary school. Theoretically, the study draws on the family stress model and theory on social capital, the findings providing support for both approaches. Single relocation was found to have a small impact on educational attainment, but forced relocations, repeated relocations and long-distance relocations are of particular significance for understanding the link between housing instability and educational outcomes. The study contributes to an understanding of the roles that different types of residential events play in youths’ educational attainment, and policy implications are discussed.