The impact of housing costs on household income across primary and secondary areas in South Africa

Date
2020-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is a country faced with considerable discrepancies in housing costs, property values and income distribution across various geographical areas. Housing is the largest expenditure component in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the CPI not only measures the changes in price levels of goods and services but also tracks the inflation rate of the country. The importance of housing in the CPI indicates that South Africans pay more on housing than any other expenditure incurred which means that citizens sacrifice their spending on essential living needs and not afforded the ability to save adequately. This research examines housing costs and household income of South Africans across the various primary and secondary areas in the country in order to provide theories to the area of study by drawing conclusions from the data presented and to help policymakers and users to plan, draw up policies and aid in decision making. Regression analysis is applied to analyse the effect of variables such as age, sex, income and location on housing costs. The average income earned by males is higher than females with males spending more on housing than females. At quintile level of analysis on income and housing costs, results show that women in lower quintiles pay more on housing than men. As the age of the head of a household increases, the share of income spent on housing decreases with age. The rental importance by dwelling type revealed that houses are the most dominant dwelling type for South African’s as more people choose to live in houses compared to flats and townhouses even though townhouses are in high demand, particularly in the metropolitan areas of the country. Demand and supply of housing is a major contributor to rental inflation, and higher inflation rates were predominantly present in areas where supply could not meet demand, pushing up housing prices and placing pressure on households in terms of affordability. The research found that income holds a strong statistically significant negative relationship with a small variance indicating that as income increases the share of income spent on housing decreases.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika is 'n land met groot verskille in behuisingskoste, eiendomswaardes en inkomsteverspreiding oor verskillende geografiese gebiede heen. Behuising is die grootste uitgawekomponent in die Verbruikersprysindeks (VPI); die VPI meet nie net die veranderinge in prysvlakke van goedere en dienste nie, maar meet ook die inflasiekoers van die land. Die belangrikheid van behuising in die VPI dui daarop dat Suid-Afrikaners meer aan behuising spandeer as enige ander uitgawes wat aangegaan word, wat beteken dat landsburgers hul uitgawes op noodsaaklike items spandeer en nie die vermoe het om voldoende te spaar nie. Hierdie navorsing het ten doel om behuisingskoste en huishoudelike inkomste van Suid-Afrikaners in die verskillende primere en sekondere gebiede in die land te ondersoek, om teoriee aan die studieveld te voorsien deur gevolgtrekkings te maak uit die data wat aangebied is en om beleidmakers en gebruikers te help om te beplan en hulp te verleen aan besluitneming. Regressie-analise word toegepas om die effek van veranderlikes soos ouderdom, geslag, inkomste en ligging op behuisingskoste te ontleed. Die gemiddelde inkomste verdien deur mans is hoer as vroue, met mans wat meer spandeer op behuising as vrouens. Op kwintielvlak van die ontleding van inkomste en behuisingskoste, toon die resultate dat vroue in die laer kwintiele meer aan behuising betaal as mans. Namate die ouderdom van die hoof van 'n huishouding toeneem, neem die gedeelte van die inkomste wat aan behuising bestee word af met ouderdom. Die annalise van huurwaarde volgens tipe woning het aan die lig gebring dat huise die oorheersende behuisings tipe vir Suid-Afrikaners is, omdat meer mense verkies om in huise te woon in vergelyking met woonstelle en meenthuise, hoewel daar 'n groot aanvraag is na meenthuise, veral in die metropolitaanse gebiede van die land. Die vraag na en aanbod van behuising lewer 'n groot bydrae tot huurinflasie en hoer inflasie koerse was oorwegend aanwesig in gebiede waar die aanbod nie aan die vraag kon voldoen nie, wat huispryse verhoog en huishoudings onder druk plaas ten opsigte van bekostigbaarheid.
Description
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Owners' equivalent rent (OER), Consumer Price Index (CPI), Housing -- Prices -- South Africa, Rental housing -- South Africa, Rental housing -- Prices -- South Africa, Households -- South Africa, Home ownership -- South Africa, Housing -- Cost effectiveness -- South Africa, Dwellings -- South Africa, Income -- South Africa, Cluster housing -- South Africa, UCTD
Citation