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

Jonathan T. Rothwell

Urban Studies, 2012, vol. 49, issue 10, 2109-2136

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.

Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:49:y:2012:i:10:p:2109-2136

DOI: 10.1177/0042098011428180

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