Neighborhood Characteristics: Objective versus Subjective Measurement

Laryssa Mykyta, University of Pennsylvania
Irma T. Elo, University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Margolis, University of Pennsylvania

In this paper, we investigate the association between objective and subjective measures of neighborhood conditions in three domains: crime, physical disorder and social disorder. Specifically, we address the following: (1) Do objective indicators of neighborhood conditions predict individual perceptions of neighborhood quality? (2) Do individual-level characteristics predict perceptions of neighborhood quality and do they modify the association between objective indicators of neighborhood conditions and subjective assessment? (3) Does the neighborhood racial and socioeconomic composition predict perceptions of neighborhood quality over and above objective indicators and individual characteristics? The extent to which individuals’ perceptions of neighborhood conditions diverge from corresponding objective characteristics raises questions about the validity of using perceptions to study the effects of neighborhood context. Depending on the research question, objective or perceived measures may be more salient. Thus, using one measure as opposed to the other may cause researchers to overstate or understate neighborhood effects.