Racial Diversity and Sense of Belonging in Urban Neighborhoods

In: City & community: C & C, Volume 10, Issue 4, p. 373-392

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the racial composition of urban Canadian neighborhoods and national belonging and in–group belonging. The study employs multilevel data and an instrumental variable approach to estimate differences in sense of belonging between individuals from racially heterogeneous and racially homogenous neighborhoods. The study demonstrates that residential exposure to racial diversity has an independent effect on belonging, after adjusting for individual– and neighborhood–level variables that could confound this relationship. National belonging is strongest in heterogeneous neighborhoods, although this effect of diversity is nonsignificant for visible minorities. In–group belonging is weakest in heterogeneous neighborhoods, but this effect also reflects the attitudes of whites. The primary conclusions support intergroup contact theory, which suggests that exposure to racial diversity is an important mechanism for reducing intergroup antagonisms and promoting a cosmopolitan sense of belonging.