Reducing ethnic discrimination in rental applications: the development of a training intervention

Abel Ghekiere, Fanny D’hondt, Eva Derous, Stijn Schelfhout and Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe

Housing Studies, 2024, vol. 39, issue 9, 2190-2209

Abstract: While field experiments are valuable in their ability to objectively analyse patterns of discrimination, research that focuses on reducing discrimination is systematically lacking. The present study addresses this gap. Building on both cognitive and behavioural processes that steer discriminatory decision-making and insights from diversity literature, we develop and test the effectiveness of a training intervention which is tailored to the specific context of the housing market, with 113 students in real estate. We develop our training around three theoretical mechanisms of discrimination that are measured through a specified vignette experiment in pre- and post-tests. Our results show a reduction in statistical and customer taste-based discrimination after the training, but no change in agent taste-based discrimination. The driver for this reduction in discrimination is being more selective on majority candidates rather than increasing the chances of ethnic minority candidates. Additionally, we found that training has no effect on taste and that most of these effects remain present on the long term.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1080/02673037.2023.2170989

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