What the study found
People in vulnerable housing situations may be aware of legal options and still choose not to use them. The authors argue that, in precarious housing arrangements, mobilising the law is not always the best or most realistic response.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest that legal mobilisation should be understood more carefully, because the study indicates that using the law may not always improve a person's situation. They conclude that people's legal, economic, and lived realities need to be considered alongside their understanding of law.
What the researchers tested
The article draws on data about precarious housing situations in Berlin and Zurich. It examines why people do not mobilise available legal avenues even when they know those avenues exist, and it links this to ideas from the non-take-up literature in social policy, legal mobilisation, and legal consciousness.
What worked and what didn't
The authors identify three dimensions of non-mobilisation: a precarious market position relative to landlords, concern that legal action could harm other legal affairs, and the fact that available solutions do not fit complex realities. These factors help explain why legal avenues were not used in the situations discussed.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed methods, sample size, or specific outcomes for individual cases. The findings are limited to the housing situations discussed in Berlin and Zurich and to the dimensions of non-mobilisation named in the article.
Key points
- The article says people may know about legal options but still not use them.
- Three reasons for non-mobilisation are identified: landlord-related vulnerability, possible harm to other legal affairs, and poor fit between solutions and real-life situations.
- The study draws on precarious housing situations in Berlin and Zurich.
- The authors connect legal mobilisation with non-take-up ideas from social policy.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Legal awareness does not always lead to legal action
- Authors:
- Anna Wyss, Katharina Winkler, Tobias Georg Eule
- Institutions:
- University of Bern
- Publication date:
- 2026-03-29
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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