Post by High Priestess on Nov 9, 2015 1:30:25 GMT
PEter shared Nov 8 2015
Study: On AirBnB, Asian-American Hosts Earn Less Than White Ones
"The resulting study, published in the Harvard-affiliated Journal of Technology, analyzed 101 AirBnB hosts in Berkeley and Oakland and found that, on average, Asian hosts earned 20 percent less per week than white hosts, usually around $90."
"Their model predicted that Asian-Americans, on average, earn $89.72 less per week than their white counterparts for a bare minimum setup of a one-bedroom rental for occupancy of one person. If the rental were for two bedrooms for one person, their model predicted that the difference would be even greater, with Asian-Americans making on average $144.45 less per week than white hosts.
There may be many different explanations for this, said Wang, including the fact that Asian Americans lower their prices to compensate for an inherent discrimination against Asians. 'It's interesting to see this extreme difference, especially in a peer-to-peer network,' Wang said."
Click here www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/11/04/454052270/study-on-airbnb-asian-american-hosts-earn-less-than-white-ones
for NPR Codeswitch article.
Click here for the report: techscience.org/downloadpdf.php?paper=2015090104
and here: www.stat.berkeley.edu/~aldous/157/Old_Projects/Hanying_Mo.pdf
My two cents: Ouch. This hurts. The whole article is worth reading, especially what it says about systemic and cultural discrimination.
Joseph
Thanks Peter ,
I am not sure about the Numbers of the Study . 101 is not a big enough pool .
Also the location may be a factor . Is there a link to the complete Study ?
Preston:
Yes, write this one off as Junk statistics ... With agenda driven conclusions ... Preston
Joseph
" said Wang, including the fact that Asian Americans lower their prices to compensate for an inherent discrimination against Asians " I want to know what Asians in the study agree with or disagreed with that statement So there is already a perceived and established devaluation on the onset of the study . To indicate a disparity afterwards is pure junk science . Not to mention that while in a next door neighborhood like Oakland and Berkeley , many people perceive Berkeley as a more desirable place over Oakland . Doesn't Oakland have a larger and establish Asian community over Berkeley ?
Peter
I don't know about "Junk statistics" It was published in a "Harvard-related" Journal.
Joseph
Thanks Peter , but just because it is Published in a Harvard related Journal , doesn't give it full legitimacy . It is Published to be Peer reviewed . Many "Studies" have been published in very well respected Journals , but they have later been proven to be false or filled with inaccuracies . The Follow up in the Journal and what other Peer reviewers say about it carries a lot of weight . Also, again , it is a very small number of people to study . I am not trying to discount any racial or cultural biases , just pointing out that "Studies " like this have to stand up to Standard research analysis where a group of 100 is considered a very small group . In Fact , the Study is already based on Self Identitified Biases of the participants .
Peter
Joseph, thank you for your remarks. I am not a scientist nor a statistician, so I can't comment on whether the sample size is sufficiently large to be considered significant or meaningful. I can only assume that for a journal to accept the publication and put its august reputation on the line, the study has to at least withstand that scrutiny. Of course, all studies do not provide irrefutable truths. However, this one seems to me, at least, to offer fertile grounds for a discussion about the socio-racial impact on the online marketplace of home sharing. I would not go so far as to impugn the professionalism of the study authors merely by the racial ascription derived from their last names, the capitalization of "Self Identified Biases" notwithstanding. To do so, it would seem to me, would be committing the exact sin the authors proffer as the cause of the pricing disparity.
Joseph
Peter ,
I thank you for posting the Article. While you don't need to be a Data scientist or a Statistician to be able to see some very basic flaws . First off , the Study was done by undergraduates , while at a world class university , and an elite college it was just a report (study) published in a Academic Tech journal that has ties with the university . In fact , Harvard itself has a very poor record on Race within its own Academic world . To be accepted for publication, the study only has to be submitted , so any student at college could submit a study on any subject .
"They also categorized hosts as Asian or white based on profile pictures. (Pictures that didn't clearly indicate whether the host was Asian or not were eliminated). They then created an equation to estimate the difference in room prices between white hosts and Asian hosts, and ran the numbers. "
I think that many people missed the fact that this was only a Numbers study ,
At no time were the Asian Airbnb Hosts ever directly interviewed
Jenny J Chen The Articles Author
"I contacted several of the Asian AirBnB hosts used in the study and asked them if they felt like race played a factor in the way they priced their rooms. Almost everyone who got back to me said that they didn't feel like that was the case. One host wrote, "Please don't quote me in the story, I never talk about race."
I think its ok to question the Professionalism of the studies Authors , as they are not full authorities on the matter, in fact they are tech Students , not Anthropologists or Sociologists . This study would of Never been accepted into any other Academic journal in those categories .
I do agree with you also about the need for Dialog on Race , but with this study
it seems that only crunching numbers and not talking to the people involved
leaves a lot of unanswered questions . Statistical studies like this are can seem like a Chicken little story .
Study: On AirBnB, Asian-American Hosts Earn Less Than White Ones
"The resulting study, published in the Harvard-affiliated Journal of Technology, analyzed 101 AirBnB hosts in Berkeley and Oakland and found that, on average, Asian hosts earned 20 percent less per week than white hosts, usually around $90."
"Their model predicted that Asian-Americans, on average, earn $89.72 less per week than their white counterparts for a bare minimum setup of a one-bedroom rental for occupancy of one person. If the rental were for two bedrooms for one person, their model predicted that the difference would be even greater, with Asian-Americans making on average $144.45 less per week than white hosts.
There may be many different explanations for this, said Wang, including the fact that Asian Americans lower their prices to compensate for an inherent discrimination against Asians. 'It's interesting to see this extreme difference, especially in a peer-to-peer network,' Wang said."
Click here www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/11/04/454052270/study-on-airbnb-asian-american-hosts-earn-less-than-white-ones
for NPR Codeswitch article.
Click here for the report: techscience.org/downloadpdf.php?paper=2015090104
and here: www.stat.berkeley.edu/~aldous/157/Old_Projects/Hanying_Mo.pdf
My two cents: Ouch. This hurts. The whole article is worth reading, especially what it says about systemic and cultural discrimination.
Joseph
Thanks Peter ,
I am not sure about the Numbers of the Study . 101 is not a big enough pool .
Also the location may be a factor . Is there a link to the complete Study ?
Preston:
Yes, write this one off as Junk statistics ... With agenda driven conclusions ... Preston
Joseph
" said Wang, including the fact that Asian Americans lower their prices to compensate for an inherent discrimination against Asians " I want to know what Asians in the study agree with or disagreed with that statement So there is already a perceived and established devaluation on the onset of the study . To indicate a disparity afterwards is pure junk science . Not to mention that while in a next door neighborhood like Oakland and Berkeley , many people perceive Berkeley as a more desirable place over Oakland . Doesn't Oakland have a larger and establish Asian community over Berkeley ?
Peter
I don't know about "Junk statistics" It was published in a "Harvard-related" Journal.
Joseph
Thanks Peter , but just because it is Published in a Harvard related Journal , doesn't give it full legitimacy . It is Published to be Peer reviewed . Many "Studies" have been published in very well respected Journals , but they have later been proven to be false or filled with inaccuracies . The Follow up in the Journal and what other Peer reviewers say about it carries a lot of weight . Also, again , it is a very small number of people to study . I am not trying to discount any racial or cultural biases , just pointing out that "Studies " like this have to stand up to Standard research analysis where a group of 100 is considered a very small group . In Fact , the Study is already based on Self Identitified Biases of the participants .
Peter
Joseph, thank you for your remarks. I am not a scientist nor a statistician, so I can't comment on whether the sample size is sufficiently large to be considered significant or meaningful. I can only assume that for a journal to accept the publication and put its august reputation on the line, the study has to at least withstand that scrutiny. Of course, all studies do not provide irrefutable truths. However, this one seems to me, at least, to offer fertile grounds for a discussion about the socio-racial impact on the online marketplace of home sharing. I would not go so far as to impugn the professionalism of the study authors merely by the racial ascription derived from their last names, the capitalization of "Self Identified Biases" notwithstanding. To do so, it would seem to me, would be committing the exact sin the authors proffer as the cause of the pricing disparity.
Joseph
Peter ,
I thank you for posting the Article. While you don't need to be a Data scientist or a Statistician to be able to see some very basic flaws . First off , the Study was done by undergraduates , while at a world class university , and an elite college it was just a report (study) published in a Academic Tech journal that has ties with the university . In fact , Harvard itself has a very poor record on Race within its own Academic world . To be accepted for publication, the study only has to be submitted , so any student at college could submit a study on any subject .
"They also categorized hosts as Asian or white based on profile pictures. (Pictures that didn't clearly indicate whether the host was Asian or not were eliminated). They then created an equation to estimate the difference in room prices between white hosts and Asian hosts, and ran the numbers. "
I think that many people missed the fact that this was only a Numbers study ,
At no time were the Asian Airbnb Hosts ever directly interviewed
Jenny J Chen The Articles Author
"I contacted several of the Asian AirBnB hosts used in the study and asked them if they felt like race played a factor in the way they priced their rooms. Almost everyone who got back to me said that they didn't feel like that was the case. One host wrote, "Please don't quote me in the story, I never talk about race."
I think its ok to question the Professionalism of the studies Authors , as they are not full authorities on the matter, in fact they are tech Students , not Anthropologists or Sociologists . This study would of Never been accepted into any other Academic journal in those categories .
I do agree with you also about the need for Dialog on Race , but with this study
it seems that only crunching numbers and not talking to the people involved
leaves a lot of unanswered questions . Statistical studies like this are can seem like a Chicken little story .
