Mortgages, household economic resilience and health
Date: April 2025 - March 2026
Founding: FWF, Grant-DOI 10.55776/J4904
Collaborator(s): Max Planck – University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health (MaxHel Center)
Information: Michael Berger
Many people view homeownership as a lifelong goal and research has consistently shown that homeownership can lead to improved long-term health. However, buying a home often involves taking on a mortgage, which can create financial stress and make families more vulnerable to job losses and other economic challenges. Dr. Michael Berger will investigate during his 12 months at the Max Planck University of Helsinki Center for Social Inequalities in Population Health (MaxHel) how financial pressures from home mortgages might counteract the health benefits of homeownership. His research will focus on the period immediately following home purchases, where financial obligations from mortgages may increase the vulnerability of households to job loss. What makes this study unique is the use of advanced analytical methods on comprehensive data that includes everyone in the population of Finland.