<div dir="ltr"><div><a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/white-flight-segregation"> White flight may still enforce segregation</a> (<a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/white-flight-segregation">https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/white-flight-segregation</a>)</div><div><br></div><div>
Journal Article: <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-xge0001115.pdf" target="_blank" id="gmail-298169">Diversifying Neighborhoods and Schools Engender Perceptions of Foreign Cultural Threat Among White Americans (PDF, 473KB)</a> <br></div><div><br></div><div style="margin-left:40px">
<p>WASHINGTON — As the population of people of color grows across the
United States, white Americans are still prone to move when
neighborhoods diversify, and their fears and stereotypical beliefs about
other racial and ethnic groups may help maintain segregation, according
to research published by the American Psychological Association.</p>
<p>In a nationally representative survey and six additional studies,
white Americans perceived a threat to their culture and way of life when
presented with information about changing demographics in hypothetical
white-majority neighborhoods and schools, compared with when no
demographic change was projected. The projected population growth of
Arab Americans, Latino Americans and Asian Americans evoked the
strongest feelings of foreign cultural threat, followed by the projected
population growth of Black Americans. The research was published online
in the <em>Journal of Experimental Psychology: General</em>.</p>
<p>“The more that white Americans perceived this foreign cultural
threat, the more they reported wanting to move out of those
communities,” said lead researcher Linda Zou, PhD, an assistant
professor of psychology at the University of Maryland. “Racial
segregation of schools and neighborhoods never ended. The country is
growing more diverse, but those changing racial demographics may trigger
heightened perceptions of threat among white Americans and contribute
to the persistence of segregation.” </p>
<p>Since 2000, the population growth of Latino Americans has accounted
for more than half of the total population growth in the United States.
According to U.S. Census projections, the United States will be a
majority minority nation by 2044, when non-Hispanic whites will make up
just under 50% of the population, compared with approximately 25% for
Hispanics, 13% for Blacks, 8% for Asians, and 4% for multi-racial
people. Non-Hispanic whites currently make up approximately 58% of the
U.S. population.</p>
<p>The perception of different types of threat is often fueled by
different underlying stereotypes, Zou said. For example, the study found
that while Asian Americans were perceived by white Americans as a
greater threat than Black Americans to a hypothetical white-majority
neighborhood’s cultural character, Black Americans were perceived as a
greater threat than Asian Americans to the neighborhood’s safety and
resources. Another study about schools found that white parents reported
a greater degree of perceived foreign cultural threat from a growing
Latino American student body compared with a growing Black American
student body.</p>
<p>The research included data from a 2000 nationwide survey with 2,213
white Americans (54% of whom were female). Respondents who reported
greater feelings of foreign cultural threat were equally more likely to
oppose living in neighborhoods with Latino Americans, Asian Americans or
Black Americans. </p>
<p>Six additional studies that were conducted online or in Seattle from
2016–18 produced more detailed findings. White Americans were more
likely to want to move out of hypothetical white-majority neighborhoods
in response to both Black American and Latino American population growth
compared with Asian American population growth. They were also more
likely to want to move out in response to Asian American population
growth compared with no projected demographic change. </p>
<p>White Americans tended to perceive a greater foreign cultural threat
from both Latino American and Asian American population growth (compared
with no projected demographic change) even though participants were
told that the ethnic minority growth was from people born in the United
States. Previous studies have found that white Americans often consider
U.S.-born Latino Americans and Asian Americans as less American or more
foreign than their white counterparts. </p>
<p>The studies didn’t analyze whether the participants’ political
affiliation affected the findings, but even liberal white parents have
resisted sending their children to integrated schools in New York City
and other areas, Zou said. While more white Americans may say they
support racial integration, that doesn’t necessarily reflect where they
choose to live or send their children to school, she added. </p>
<p>Other research suggests that programs and policies designed to
welcome immigrants could help improve attitudes and support among white
Americans for neighborhood and school integration by signaling positive
local norms, Zou said. The research relied on surveys and data about
hypothetical neighborhoods. Additional research is needed about white
flight in actual neighborhoods across the United States, according to
the researchers. </p>
</div>David<br></div>