Housing tenure trajectory and student absenteeism: evidence from New Zealand

Abstract

Student absenteeism has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, both internationally and in New Zealand. Using the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), a platform of linked, de-identified government data, we examined housing tenure trajectories for students aged 5–17 from 2013 to 2022. Students were grouped into three categories based on tenure trajectories: stable, unstable and highly unstable. Students with unstable tenure trajectories had significantly higher rates of unjustified absence and truancy than those with stable tenure trajectories, with the highest rates among those with highly unstable trajectories. These associations held in multivariate negative binomial models and after propensity score matching. The associations were stronger for primary school students, who are developmentally more vulnerable and dependent. We also found that Māori and Pacific students are disproportionately disadvantaged across both housing and education. By distinguishing different types of tenure trajectories, our study provides evidence that tenure trajectories contribute to absenteeism and provides new insights into a mixed body of literature.