Overview

We open this chapter with a brief introduction to what American sociologist Matthew Desmond refers to as the eviction epidemic. His research allows us to identify structural barriers that increase the experience of houselessness. Throughout this chapter, we will examine Desmond’s approach to research methodology to better understand why social scientists need to be systematic in how they conduct research and how research can be used to help improve conditions for others. We include Rosemary’s story as a way to understand how eviction disrupts connections to community and education (figure 3.1). Imagine trying to keep up with your school work while you and your family are struggling to keep a stable home. Many people maintain certain beliefs about someone who “gets evicted.” They might suggest those people made poor choices and are responsible for their circumstances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXqNtHtUa1U

Sociologists use a broader lens to examine social life; instead of solely focusing on individual choices, we also study how social structures limit and create opportunities for groups. We step back from experiences at the individual level to identify how those experiences indicate larger patterns in our world. Often those patterns intersect with inequalities.

Sociologists conduct research to systematically understand a wide range of social issues, including housing. Matthew Desmond (2016) used ethnographic research methods to learn more about how eviction impacts families in the United States. He observed eight families in Milwaukee during the 2007–2008 financial and housing crises as they struggled with evictions. He wrote about their experiences in his book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, and combined his ethnographic fieldwork with statistical analysis. We will learn more about these and other research methods in this chapter.

By examining the lives of families struggling with substandard housing conditions and evictions, Desmond uncovers information that helps us better understand how poverty and economic exploitation intersect with access to housing. As Desmond shares in the PBS interview, “Eviction isn’t just a condition of poverty, it’s also a cause of it. It’s making things worse.” Eviction isn’t about one or two “bad choices”—often there are multiple contributing factors that place renters in vulnerable positions with limited options. For example, even though Milwaukee has renter protections, for some landlords it was cheaper to evict tenants than keep their building up to code.

Social science research, such as Desomond’s, enables us to see the complexities of the issues surrounding the housing crisis. It humanizes the experience of eviction and reveals the effects on mental and physical health, while also demonstrating how structural inequalities put groups of people at a disadvantage.

In this chapter, you will learn more ways to use research methodology to analyze the world around you from a sociological perspective. First, we will examine the scientific method and different frameworks used in sociological research, before introducing quantitative and qualitative approaches to research. This chapter concludes with a discussion of the code of ethics sociologists follow.