Why Are Whites and Blacks Averse to Black Neighbors?

Author: Harris D.R.

Source: Social Science Research, Volume 30, Number 1, March 2001 , pp. 100-116(17)

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Abstract:

Much research finds that both Blacks and Whites prefer to live in neighborhoods that have few Black residents. The explanation usually offered for White aversion to Black neighbors is racism. Black aversion to Black neighbors, however, is often viewed as resulting from a taste for integration or as a proxy for the desire to live in affluent, safe neighborhoods with good schools. In this article I use 1990–1993 data from the Chicago Area Survey Project to revisit the issue of neighborhood racial preferences. My analysis suggests that there are few differences in the reasons why Blacks and Whites are averse to Black neighbors. Each group prefers White neighbors because neighborhoods with many Black residents tend to have high levels of poverty, crime, and other social problems. Thus, my work is consistent with the racial proxy hypothesis and serves as a challenge to the widely held pure race hypothesis. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: Department of Sociology, University of Michigan

Publication date: 2001-03-01