Though American communities have become increasingly diverse, concerns are still being raised about future ethnic and racial integration.
A new study says that owing to the growth of Hispanic and Asian population in the United States, there have been major advancements toward a greater diversity among American communities in both metro and micro areas since 1980. The number of mixed neighborhoods has increased from 1,500 in 1980 to 6,300 in 2010.
A new US2010 report shows whites, blacks, Hispanics and Asians are increasingly sharing American communities, said Barry Lee, professor of sociology and demography, Penn State.
"While these patterns make one optimistic about integration, there are other findings that complicate the story," said Barry Lee, professor of sociology and demography, the lead author of the study, in a press statement.
Despite this, Lee points out that individuals have raised concerns about ethnic and racial integration in the future. In micropolitan areas, racial discrimination had not changed very much in the last 3 decades and some of the largest or fastest-growing groups such as Mexicans and Asian Indians are still subjected to such discriminations.
Researchers also made another discovery during the course of this study. They found that mixed communities in metropolitan areas where no racial or ethnic majority prevailed during 1980 to 1990 have changed over time. Such areas now have a majority, with most of the population there being Hispanic.
"The fragility of mixed neighborhoods calls into question the potential for neighborhoods to match the diversity of the cities or metros where they are located, at least over the short term," said Lee.
For the study, researchers used data from the last four censuses. Using these numbers they analyzed the ethnic and racial diversity of metropolitan and micropolitan areas, the ways these people lived and mixed together and the persistence of this mixed neighborhood over time.
