Sociology seminar – Thursdays

Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm 
Date: 4th April 2024
Place: room 2007

Hesu Yoon (Stanford University) – Stigmatized or Desirable? Heterogeneity in Racialized Neighborhood Perceptions and Preferences

Abstract:

Despite over a century of high levels of residential racial segregation in the US, white preferences for integrated neighborhoods have become increasingly common, and their entry into majority-minority neighborhoods is on the rise, though still rare. This paper explores microfoundations of white invasion in the context of gentrification, drawing on a series of online vignette survey experiments that compare young white gentrifiers’ attitudes toward neighborhoods with racial minorities, using major minority racial groups in the US – Latino, Black, and Asian. The findings suggest that young white gentrifiers prefer mixed neighborhoods over white neighborhoods, which can be explained by positive indirect effects transmitted through perceived diversity and authenticity. Majority-minority neighborhoods also benefit from perceived diversity and authenticity; however, positive perceptions do not lead to the preference for these neighborhoods because they are offset by negative stereotypes. The importance of differentiating effects by racial outgroup and measuring multiple dimensions of neighborhood desirability is also discussed, along with their implications for stable integration, gentrification, and segregation.

Organizers: Annina Cleasson, Paola Tubaro, Patrick Präg (CREST Sociology unit)

Sponsors: CREST