Distress in the Desert: Neighborhood Disorder, Resident Satisfaction, and Quality of Life during the Las Vegas Foreclosure Crisis.
Using surveys collected from a sample of households nested within 'naturally occurring' neighborhoods in Las Vegas, NV during the 2007-2009 economic recession, this study examines the associations between real and perceived measures of neighborhood distress (foreclosure rate, physical decay, crime) and residents' reports of neighborhood quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction. Consistent with social disorganization theory, both real and perceived measures of neighborhood disorder were negatively associated with quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction. Residents' perceptions of neighborliness partially acted as a buffer against the effects of neighborhood distress, including housing foreclosures, on quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction.
Department of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 455033, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5033, .
Christie D
CD
Batson
Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, The Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, 110B Armsby Building, University Park, PA 16802.
Shannon M
SM
Monnat
disorder; foreclosures; neighborhood satisfaction; neighborhoods; quality of life