Study On Urban Residents’ Housing Consumption Differences And Housing Stratification

Housing is the most basic conditions of human existence, and housing problem has a significant relationship with social and economic development. This paper takes housing, housing consumption in particular, as an important basis on social stratification study. And it takes Zhejiang province as a case study and uses market transition theory and social stratification theory as a research framework. This paper explores the relationship among urban housing stratification and social transformation, social polarization between the rich and the poor according the in-depth analysis of study case on the status of urban residents in housing consumption and influencing fectors.In the theoretical analysis, the paper argues that differences in housing consumption of urban residents by two levels of factors:macro factors and micro factors. Macro factors refer to institutional factors affecting housing consumption that housing system reform changes the inherent logic of housing allocation. Before the reform of housing allocation monetization (the welfare housing distribution system), housing distribution was dominated by the redistribution mechanism and regarded as welfare and invisible income. The allocation mechanism which was based on the rights and identity caused social class difference and class differentiation; after the reform of housing distribution monetization, housing distribution was dominated by market mechanism, and housing was regarded as a commodity and dominant income. Housing distribution inequality reflects in two aspects. First, the reform of housing allocation monetization strengthens the housing benefit distribution inequity. Second, the reform of housing allocation monetization causes the emergence of new housing unequal phenomenon. Micro factors refer to the individual’s own characteristics factors also have an impact on housing consumption differences including personal income, level of education, occupation, gender, age, working years and so on.In the empirical study, this paper divides the housing class into "the second floor third-order" according that whether the residents have property rights and the ability to obtain the housing resources. The "two-tier" refers to the property right of class and no property right class, and the "third order" refers to the management elite, professional elite and non-elite.This study mainly takes household as the research object. It determines the relevant study variables through literature study and theoretical analysis. Then, it establishes housing property model, housing quality model and housing area model. The research results indicate that management elite and professional elite are more likely to obtain housing property and have more housing area and better housing quality than non-elite. Meanwhile, comparing with professional elite, management elite are in a dominant position of housing property, housing quality and housing area.Market transition theory holds that China is facing a planned economy system to market economy system transition process. In this process, market-oriented transformation changes the social stratification which is based on redistribution economy and the power. Therefore, the return of human capital and power capital causes the academic discussion and debate. In this paper, we use market transition theory about the return of human capital and power capital to study the urban residents’ housing consumption issues. Empirical study shows a further result that:At present, the urban residents of the housing is dominated by both of allocation mechanisms and market mechanisms, and political capital continues to affect people’s access to housing resources. The redistribution mechanism based power will be renewed. Meanwhile, human capital gradually plays a significant role in housing consumption under the market mechanism that human capital and political capital also receive appreciation. Therefore, the urban housing stratification reflects not only the stage and level of social transformation, but also the social polarization between the rich and the poor in further.