Previous research, primarily using survey data, highlights preferences about neighborhood racial composition as a potential contributor to residential segregation. However, we know little about how individuals, especially parents, understand neighborhood racial composition. We examine this question using in–depth interview data from a racially diverse sample of 156 parents of young children in two metropolitan areas. Prior scholarship on neighborhood racial preferences has mostly been animated by expectations about in–group attraction, out–group avoidance, the influence of stereotypes, and perceived associations between race and status. However, we find that a substantial subset of parents expressed a desire for racially and ethnically mixed neighborhoods—a residential preference at odds with racial segregation. Parents across race conceptualized neighborhood diversity as beneficial for children's development. They expressed shared logics, reasoning that neighborhood diversity cultivates skills and comfort interacting with racial others; teaches tolerance; and provides cultural enrichment. However, these ideas intersected with racial segregation and stratification to shape parents’ understandings of diversity and hinder the realization of parents’ aspirations. Beliefs about the benefits of neighborhood diversity were rarely a primary motivation for residential choices. Nonetheless, parents’ perceptions of the advantages of neighborhood racial mixing reveal the reach of discourse on the value of diversity and suggest a potential opportunity to advance residential desegregation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdelmanRobert M.2005. “The Roles of Race, Class, and Residential Preferences in the Neighborhood Racial Composition of Middle–Class Blacks and Whites.” Social Science Quarterly86(1):209–28.
2.
AlbaRichard D., and LoganJohn R.1993. “Minority Proximity to Whites in Suburbs: An Individual–Level Analysis of Segregation.” American Journal of Sociology98(6):1388–427.
3.
AllportGordon W.1954. The Nature of Prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison–Wesley.
4.
AsadAsad, and RosenEva. 2019. “The Residential Decisions of Unauthorized Migrants: Hiding within American Racial Hierarchies.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies45(11):1857–82.
5.
BaderMichael D.M., and KrysanMaria. 2015. “Community Attraction and Avoidance in Chicago: What's Race Got to Do with It?” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science660(1):261–81.
6.
BellJoyce M., and HartmannDouglas. 2007. “Diversity in Everyday Discourse: The Cultural Ambiguities and Consequences of ‘Happy Talk.’” American Sociological Review72(6):895–914.
7.
BerreyEllen. 2015. The Enigma of Diversity: The Language of Race and the Limits of Racial Justice. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
8.
BischoffKendra, and TachLaura. 2018. “The Racial Composition of Neighborhoods and Local Schools: The Role of Diversity, Inequality, and School Choice.” City & Community17(3):675–701.
9.
BoboLawrence. 1989. “Keeping the Linchpin in Place: Testing the Multiple Sources of Opposition to Residential Integration.” International Review of Social Psychology2(3):305–23.
10.
BoboLawrence, and ZubrinskyCamille L.1996. “Attitudes on Residential Integration: Perceived Status Differences, Mere In–Group Preference, or Racial Prejudice?” Social Forces74(3):883–909.
11.
Bonilla–SilvaEduardo. 2003. Racism without Racists: Color–Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
12.
Bonilla–SilvaEduardo, and EmbrickDavid G.2001. “Are Blacks Color Blind Too?: An Interview–Based Analysis of Black Detroiters’ Racial Views.” Race and Society4(1):47–67.
13.
BillinghamChase M., and HuntMatthew O.2016. “School Racial Composition and Parental Choice: New Evidence on the Preferences of White Parents in the United States.” Sociology of Education89(2):99–117.
14.
Brown–SaracinoJaponica. 2004. “Social Preservationists and the Quest for Authentic Community.” City & Community3(2):135–56.
15.
Brown–SaracinoJaponica. 2010. A Neighborhood that Never Changes: Gentrification, Social Preservation, and the Search for Authenticity. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
16.
BruchElizabeth E., and MareRobert D.2006. “Neighborhood Choice and Neighborhood Change.” American Journal of Sociology112(3):667–709.
17.
BurkeMeghan A.2012. Racial Ambivalence in Diverse Communities. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
18.
BurkeMeghan A. 2017. “Colorblind Racism: Identities, Ideologies, and Shifting Subjectivities.” Sociological Perspectives60(5):857–65.
19.
CharlesCamille Zubrinsky. 2000. “Neighborhood Racial–Composition Preferences: Evidence from a Multiethnic Metropolis.” Social Problems47(3):379–407.
20.
CharlesCamille Zubrinsky. 2006. Won't You Be My Neighbor?: Race, Class, and Residence in Los Angeles. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
21.
CharlesCamille Zubrinsky. 2007. “Comfort Zones: Immigration, Acculturation, and the Neighborhood Racial–Composition Preferences of Latinos and Asians.” Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race4(1):41–77.
22.
ClarkWilliam A.V.1992. “Residential Preferences and Residential Choices in a Multiethnic Context.” Demography29(3):451–66.
23.
ClarkWilliam A.V., and LedwithValerie. 2007. “How Much Does Income Matter in Neighborhood Choice?” Population Research and Policy Review26(2):145–61.
24.
CondliffeBarbara F., BoydMelody L., and DeLucaStefanie. 2015. “Stuck in School: How Social Context Shapes School Choice for Inner–City Students.” Teachers College Record117(3):1–36.
25.
CrowderKyle. 2000. “The Racial Context of White Mobility: An Individual–Level Assessment of the White Flight Hypothesis.” Social Science Research29(2):223–57.
26.
DeLucaStefanie, Clampet–LundquistSusan, and EdinKathryn. 2016. Coming of Age in the Other America. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
27.
DeLucaStefanie, WoodHolly, and RosenblattPeter. 2019. “Why Poor People Move (and Where They Go): Reactive Mobility and Residential Decisions.” City & Community18(2):556–93.
28.
EllenIngrid Gould. 2007. “How Integrated Did We Become during the 1990s?” Pp. 125–44 in Fragile Rights within Cities: Government, Housing, and Fairness, edited by GoeringJohn. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
29.
EmbrickDavid G.2011. “The Diversity Ideology in the Business World: A New Oppression for a New Age.” Critical Sociology37(5):541–56.
30.
EmersonMichael O., ChaiKaren J., and YanceyGeorge. 2001. “Does Race Matter in Residential Segregation? Exploring the Preferences of White Americans.” American Sociological Review66(6):922–35.
31.
FarleyReynolds, and FreyWilliam H.1994. “Changes in the Segregation of Whites from Blacks during the 1980s: Small Steps toward a More Integrated Society.” American Sociological Review59(1):23–45.
32.
FarleyReynolds, SchumanHoward, BianchiSuzanne, ColasantoDiane, and HatchettShirley. 1978. “‘Chocolate City, Vanilla Suburbs’: Will the Trend toward Racially Separate Communities Continue?” Social Science Research7(4):319–44.
33.
FeaginJoe R., and SikesMelvin P.1994. Living with Racism: The Black Middle–Class Experience. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
34.
GarbodenPhilip M.E., RosenEva, DeLucaStefanie, and EdinKathryn. 2018. “Taking Stock: What Drives Landlord Participation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program.” Housing Policy Debate28(6):979–1003.
35.
GoetzEdward G.2018. The One–Way Street of Integration: Fair Housing and the Pursuit of Racial Justice in American Cities. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
36.
GoyetteKimberly A., FarrieDanielle, and FreelyJoshua. 2012. “This School's Gone Downhill: Racial Change and Perceived School Quality among Whites.” Social Problems59(2):155–76.
37.
GoyetteKimberly A., IcelandJohn, and WeiningerElliot. 2014. “Moving for the Kids: Examining the Influence of Children on White Residential Segregation.” City & Community13(2):158–78.
38.
HallMatthew, and KrysanMaria. 2017. “The Neighborhood Context of Latino Threat.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity3(2):218–35.
39.
HarrisDavid R.1999. “‘Property Values Drop When Blacks Move In, Because…’: Racial and Socioeconomic Determinants of Neighborhood Desirability.” American Sociological Review64(3):461–79.
40.
HarveyHope, FongKelley, EdinKathryn, and DeLucaStefanie. 2019. “Forever Homes and Temporary Stops: Housing Search Logics and Residential Selection.” Social Forces. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz110.
41.
HavekesEsther, BaderMichael, and KrysanMaria. 2016. “Realizing Racial and Ethnic Neighborhood Preferences? Exploring the Mismatches between What People Want, Where They Search, and Where They Live.” Population Research and Policy Review35(1):101–26.
42.
HirschArnold R.2009. Making the Second Ghetto: Race and Housing in Chicago 1940–1960. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
43.
HowellJunia, and EmersonMichael O.2018. “Preserving Racial Hierarchy Amidst Changing Racial Demographics: How Neighbourhood Racial Preferences Are Changing while Maintaining Segregation.” Ethnic and Racial Studies41(15):2770–89.
44.
HugheyMatthew W., EmbrickDavid G., and DoaneAshley “Woody”. 2015. “Paving the Way for Future Race Research: Exploring the Racial Mechanisms within a Color–Blind, Racialized Social System.” American Behavioral Scientist59(11):1347–57.
45.
IcelandJohn, GoyetteKimberly A., NelsonKyle Anne, and ChanChaowen. 2010. “Racial and Ethnic Residential Segregation and Household Structure: A Research Note.” Social Science Research39(1):39–47.
46.
IcelandJohn, and WilkesRima. 2006. “Does Socioeconomic Status Matter? Race, Class, and Residential Segregation.” Social Problems53(2):248–73.
47.
JacksonKenneth T.1987. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.
48.
JohnsonHeather Beth, and ShapiroThomas M.2003. “Good Neighborhoods, Good Schools: Race and the ‘Good Choices’ of White Families.” Pp. 173–87 in White Out: The Continuing Significance of Racism, edited by DoaneAshley and Bonilla–SilvaEduardo. New York: Routledge.
49.
KimelbergShelley McDonough, and BillinghamChase M.2013. “Attitudes toward Diversity and the School Choice Process: Middle–class Parents in a Segregated Urban Public School District.” Urban Education48(2):198–231.
50.
KrysanMaria. 2002a. “Community Undesirability in Black and White: Examining Racial Residential Preferences through Community Perceptions.” Social Problems49(4):521–43.
51.
KrysanMaria. 2002b. “Whites Who Say They'd Flee: Who Are They, and Why Would They Leave?” Demography39(4):675–96.
52.
KrysanMaria, and BaderMichael. 2007. “Perceiving the Metropolis: Seeing the City through a Prism of Race.” Social Forces86(2):699–733.
53.
KrysanMaria, CouperMick P., FarleyReynolds, and FormanTyrone A.2009. “Does Race Matter in Neighborhood Preferences? Results from a Video Experiment.” American Journal of Sociology115(2):527–59.
54.
KrysanMaria, and CrowderKyle. 2017. Cycle of Segregation: Social Processes and Residential Stratification. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
55.
KrysanMaria, and FarleyReynolds. 2002. “The Residential Preferences of Blacks: Do They Explain Persistent Segregation?” Social Forces80(3):937–80.
56.
LacyKaryn R.2004. “Black Spaces, Black Places: Strategic Assimilation and Identity Construction in Middle–Class Suburbia.” Ethnic and Racial Studies27(6):908–30.
57.
LareauAnnette, and GoyetteKimberly. 2014. Choosing Homes, Choosing Schools. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
58.
LeventhalTama, and Brooks–GunnJeanne. 2000. “The Neighborhoods They Live In: The Effects of Neighborhood Residence on Child and Adolescent Outcomes.” Psychological Bulletin126(2):309–37.
59.
LoganJohn, and MolotchHarvey. 1987. Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
60.
LoganJohn, OakleyDeirdre, SmithPolly, StowellJacob, and StultsBrian. 2001. “Separating the Children.” Lewis Mumford Center Working Paper, SUNY. Albany, NY.
61.
LoganJohn, and StultsBrian. 2011. “The Persistence of Segregation in the Metropolis: New Findings from the 2010 Census.” Census Brief prepared for Project US2010.
62.
LoganJohn, and ZhangCharles. 2010. “Global Neighborhoods: New Pathways to Diversity and Separation.” American Journal of Sociology115(4):1069–109.
63.
MasseyDouglas S., and DentonNancy A.1993. American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
64.
Mayorga–GalloSarah. 2014. Behind the White Picket Fence: Power and Privilege in a Multiethnic Neighborhood. Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press.
65.
OwensAnn. 2016. “Inequality in Children's Contexts: Income Segregation of Households with and Without Children.” American Sociological Review81(3):549–74.
66.
PaukerKristin, CarpinellaColleen, MeyersChanel, YoungDanielle M., and SanchezDiana T.2018. “The Role of Diversity Exposure in Whites’ Reduction in Race Essentialism over Time.” Social Psychological and Personality Science9(8):944–52.
67.
PettigrewThomas F.1998. “Intergroup Contact Theory.” Annual Review of Psychology49(1):65–85.
68.
Posey–MaddoxLinn. 2014. When Middle–Class Parents Choose Urban Schools: Class, Race, and the Challenge of Equity in Public Education. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
69.
QuillianLincoln, and PagerDevah. 2001. “Black Neighbors, Higher Crime? The Role of Racial Stereotypes in Evaluations of Neighborhood Crime.” American Journal of Sociology107(3):717–67.
70.
RichPeter, CandipanJennifer, and OwensAnn. 2018. “The Liberalization of Public School Enrollment: Integrating Neighborhoods, Segregating Schools.” Paper presented at The American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
71.
RodaAllison, and WellsAmy Stuart. 2012. “School Choice Policies and Racial Segregation: Where White Parents’ Good Intentions, Anxiety, and Privilege Collide.” American Journal of Education119(2):261–93.
72.
RossiPeter Henry. 1955. Why Families Move: A Study in the Social Psychology of Urban Residential Mobility. New York: Free Press.
73.
SampsonRobert J.2012. Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
74.
SampsonRobert J., and RaudenbushStephen W.2004. “Seeing Disorder: Neighborhood Stigma and the Social Construction of ‘Broken Windows.’” Social Psychology Quarterly67(4):319–42.
75.
SaporitoSalvatore, and LareauAnnette. 1999. “School Selection as a Process: The Multiple Dimensions of Race in Framing Educational Choice.” Social Problems46(3):418–39.
76.
SchellingThomas C.1971. “Dynamic Models of Segregation.” Journal of Mathematical Sociology1(2):143–86.
77.
SharkeyPatrick. 2013. Stuck in Place: Urban Neighborhoods and the End of Progress toward Racial Equality. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
78.
SmithCandis Watts, and Mayorga–GalloSarah. 2017. “The New Principle–Policy Gap: How Diversity Ideology Subverts Diversity Initiatives.” Sociological Perspectives60(5):889–911.
79.
SouthScott J., and CrowderKyle D.1998. “Leaving the ‘Hood: Residential Mobility between Black, White, and Integrated Neighborhoods.” American Sociological Review63(1):17–26.
80.
SweeneyKathryn A.2017. “How White Parents of Black and Multiracial Transracially Adopted Children Approach Racial Exposure and Neighborhood Choice.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity3(2):236–52.
81.
UnderhillMegan R.2018. “Diversity Is Important to Me: White Parents and Exposure–to–Diversity Parenting Practices.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Online First.
82.
WarikooNatasha K.2016. The Diversity Bargain: And Other Dilemmas of Race, Admissions, and Meritocracy at Elite Universities. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
83.
WilsonWilliam J.1987. The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
84.
XieYu, and ZhouXiang. 2012. “Modeling Individual–Level Heterogeneity in Racial Residential Segregation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences109(29):11646–51.
85.
ZubrinskyCamille L., and BoboLawrence. 1996. “Prismatic Metropolis: Race and Residential Segregation in the City of the Angels.” Social Science Research25(4):335–74.
