Resident Satisfaction in Racially and Ethnically Diverse Neighborhoods

Sapna Swaroop, University of Chicago
Maria Krysan, University of Illinois at Chicago

Utilizing data from a recent survey of Chicago, this study investigates residents’ evaluations of multiple aspects of quality of life in racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. Initial results suggest that whites and Latinos evaluate quality of life in diverse neighborhoods differently than they perceive quality of life in homogeneous neighborhoods, but that African Americans do not. Whites report that they are less satisfied with residence in diverse compared to predominantly white neighborhoods. They believe that property upkeep and public school quality are worse in diverse neighborhoods but report no differences in levels of crime across neighborhoods. They also perceive less of a sense of community in diverse neighborhoods. African Americans report no differences in any quality of life measure across neighborhoods. For Latinos, residence in diverse neighborhoods is related to improvements in quality of life with respect to satisfaction with local public schools and lower levels of crime.