Perceptions of Race Relations in Contexts of Ethnic Diversity and Change

Examining public opinion data from a 2007 survey of Los Angeles, the authors consider racial and ethnic variation in perceptions of race relations across neighborhoods in various contexts of demographic composition and change. Using several measures of ethnic diversity, the authors examine whether racial attitudes differ depending on the demographic mix at the census tract level, and if the relative importance of ethnicity and other individual characteristics varies depending on the proportion, ratio, or diversity of ethnic groups within tracts. Only among African Americans do they find a consistent impact of racial/ethnic identity on perception of race relations, although such attitudes do not vary within various measures of neighborhood diversity. The results suggest limitations to the assumed significance—either positive or negative—of neighborhood diversity on individuals of various races and ethnicities.