New study explores how the residential environment impacts our life course and vulnerability

The aim of this study is to investigate in what ways the spatial context matters for an individual's life course trajectory and vulnerability. The article particularly explores the impacts of neighborhoods constructed from the aggregated life course trajectories of residents, building on longitudinal microdata from Statistics Sweden for the years 1990-2019. Through latent class analysis, different types of life course trajectories are identified, and then examined in relation to the influence of the geographical context.

The results show that the spatial context plays a significant role in shaping an individual's life course trajectory and vulnerability. Residing in an area characterized by "families in distress" increases the odds of experiencing vulnerability. Factors such as country of birth, gender, and prior vulnerability also impact the life course trajectory.

The study contributes valuable insights to the question of whether poor neighborhoods make their residents poorer, going beyond merely measuring residential segregation patterns. The findings can support planning for geographic equality of opportunity.

The article "Exploring the Impacts of Spatial Contexts on the Life Course Trajectory Status of Vulnerability" is published in Geographical Analysis and available through Open Access.

Eva Andersson is Professor of Geography and Human Geography at Stockholm University.