Social Class and Ethnic Segregation: A Reconsideration of Methods and Conclusions

Previous research on the relationship between social class and ethnic segregation has produced inconsistent results. This paper resolves these inconsistencies by clarifying some theoretical and methodological issues. Ecological theory hypothesizes an inverse relationship between ethnic segregation and socioeconomic status. We demonstrate that this hypothesis cannot be tested using the method of indirect standardization, but is appropriately examined using either direct standardization or cross-sectional correlation. Given these clarifications, previous research generally supports hypotheses derived from ecological theory and lends credence to a social class interpretation of ethnic segregation.