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Title: The Effects of Racial Segregation on Trust and Volunteering in US Cities

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2012

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Abstract: A large body of recent research claims that racial diversity hinders the general trust of others, but these studies rarely consider how racial segregation mediates diversity. This article re-examines the issue by considering how the residential isolation of minorities alters general trust and one manifestation of trust: volunteering in cities. Using data from the US, the results from a regression analysis suggest that metropolitan-level racial segregation decreases trust and volunteering. Diversity has no significant effect. The results are robust to a variety of specifications and assumptions. The use of historical metropolitan and state characteristics improves the fit between segregation and distrust, and political affiliation is explored as a potential link between group distrust and general distrust. High levels of trust have been identified as a source of good governance and economic performance; integration is likely to enhance these attributes regardless of the level of diversity.

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Authors: Rothwell, Jonathan T.

Periodical (Full): Urban Studies

Issue: 10

Volume: 49

Pages: 2109-2136

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Housing and Segregation, Race and Ethnicity

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