European public perceptions of homelessness: A knowledge, attitudes and practices survey

Abstract

BackgroundAddressing Citizen’s perspectives on homelessness is crucial for the design of effective and durable policy responses, and available research in Europe is not yet substantive. We aim to explore citizens’ opinions about homelessness and to explain the differences in attitudes within the general population of eight European countries: France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.MethodsA nationally representative telephone survey of European citizens was conducted in 2017. Three domains were investigated: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about homelessness. Based on a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), a generalized linear model for clustered and weighted samples was used to probe the associations between groups with opposing attitudes.ResultsResponse rates ranged from 30.4% to 33.5% (N = 5,295). Most respondents (57%) had poor knowledge about homelessness. Respondents who thought the government spent too much on homelessness, people who are homeless should be responsible for housing, people remain homeless by choice, or homelessness keeps capabilities/empowerment intact (regarding meals, family contact, and access to work) clustered together (negative attitudes, 30%). Respondents who were willing to pay taxes, welcomed a shelter, or acknowledged people who are homeless may lack some capabilities (i.e. agreed on discrimination in hiring) made another cluster (positive attitudes, 58%). Respondents living in semi-urban or urban areas (ORs 1.33 and 1.34) and those engaged in practices to support people who are homeless (ORs > 1.4; p<0.005) were more likely to report positive attitudes, whereas those from France and Poland (p<0.001) were less likely to report positive attitudes.ConclusionThe majority of European citizens hold positive attitudes towards people who are homeless, however there remain significant differences between and within countries. Although it is clear that there is strong support for increased government action and more effective solutions for Europe’s growing homelessness crisis, there also remain public opinion barriers rooted in enduring negative perceptions.

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“…Some of these vulnerable groups feature stable numbers, whereas others are expanding, due to shifts in various social issues. For example, housing issues are increasing in the Netherlands, reflecting a growing housing shortage, increasing debt problems, and budget cuts for government-provided mental health care ( Petit et al, 2019 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem intensified due to job losses ( Barbieri, 2020 ; Lima et al, 2020 ).…”

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“…Furthermore, drug use leading to homelessness is a common belief among those unsympathetic to the homeless (Agans and Liu, 2015). The homeless are also commonly viewed as lazy (Petit et al. , 2019; Philips, 2015) and considered to be a drain on society who will misuse help if they receive it (Reppond and Bullock, 2018).…”

“…Furthermore, drug use leading to homelessness is a common belief among those unsympathetic to the homeless (Agans and Liu, 2015). The homeless are also commonly viewed as lazy (Petit et al, 2019;Philips, 2015) and considered to be a drain on society who will misuse help if they receive it (Reppond and Bullock, 2018). These stereotypes are less commonly held among those who have higher levels of sympathy toward the homeless and among those who themselves have experienced homelessness (Agans and Liu, 2015).…”

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“…However, are these fund-raising efforts and the provision of street-based services perhaps required due to a lack of funding for services for people experiencing homelessness by governments? In a recent survey of public attitudes about homelessness in eight European countries (Petit et al, 2019), the majority (nearly three quarters) of those surveyed believed that governments were spending too little on homelessness programmes; in the case of Ireland, nearly 80 per cent believed this to be the case. A total of 60 per cent had given 'money, food or clothing' to a homeless person over the past year, and 57 per cent had given 'money, food or clothing' to an NGO or charity organisation for homeless people, with nearly 70 per cent doing so in Ireland.…”