Overview
Lisa A. Keister is professor of sociology and public policy at Duke University and an affiliate of the Duke Network Analysis Center and the Duke Population Research Initiative. Her current research focuses on organization strategy, elite households, the processes that explain extremes in wealth and income inequality, and on group differences in the intergenerational transfer of assets. She has been focusing on the causes and consequences of net worth poverty recently with colleagues from the Sanford school and is currently completing two books: one on America’s wealthiest families, the one percent, and one on net worth poverty.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Professor of Sociology
·
2006 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
·
2018 - Present
Sanford School of Public Policy
Faculty Research Scholar of DuPRI's Population Research Center
·
2010 - Present
Duke Population Research Center,
Duke Population Research Institute
Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy
·
2023 - Present
Center for Child and Family Policy,
Sanford School of Public Policy
Bass Fellow
·
2018 - Present
Sociology,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Recent Scholarly Works
The Buffering Effect of State Eviction and Foreclosure Policies for Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States.
Journal article Journal of health and social behavior · September 2026 The COVID-19 pandemic spurred an economic downturn that may have eroded population mental health, especially for renters and homeowners who experienced financial hardship and were at risk of housing loss. Using household-level data from the Census Bureau's ... Full text CiteReligious Affiliation and Homeownership: Contemporary Patterns of Ownership, Value, and Status
Journal article Review of Religious Research · September 1, 2026 Religious affiliation is closely linked to socioeconomic status (SES), with a large body of research documenting persistent differences in education, income, and wealth across major religious groups. Homeownership—a critical measure of SES—provides financi ... Full text Open Access CiteHousing Fragility: Wealth Position, Portfolio Composition, and Education Among Homeowners
Journal article Social Sciences · July 1, 2026 Homeownership is considered an important indicator of financial stability, but the economic security it provides varies substantially across households. In this paper, I examine housing fragility among U.S. homeowners and ask how vulnerability to housing- ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Focused Training in Social Networks and Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMECo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2026Net Worth Poverty and Children's Development
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2025Economic security and health disparity in COVID-19: A computational modeling approach.
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2024View All Grants
Education
Cornell University ·
1997
Ph.D.
Cornell University ·
1995
M.A.
University of Oklahoma ·
1991
M.A.