Ethnic residential segregation and its significance for the individual in an urban setting

Patterns of residential segregation in Toronto are analyzed and their significance for individuals residing in the urban setting are examined. The extent of segregation between eighteen major ethnic populations and the reference population of English origin was determined by indexes of dissimilarity based on 1971 census tract data. Ethnic variations in residential segregation are examined by generation, using educational attainment as a status control. Survey data on individual attitudes, perception of the ethnic character of areas of residence, and participation in ethnic related activities are analyzed to determine the extent of their association with ethnic group propensities for segregation. Segregation analysis reveals a wide range o1 ethnic segregation relatively independent o:f status variations. Only a few of the older established ethnic groups showed declines in segregation for subsequent generations that would be consistent with the classical assimilation model. Interview data reveal that individuals in the urban setting do perceive the ethnic character of the areas in which they live in ways that are consistent with the results of the segregation analysis. However, the direct affeect of the ethnic character o£ neighborhoods on resident participation in ethnic related activities appears to be slight for the population in general, but varies significantly between the ethnic populations sampled in this survey. The importance of ethnic origin, as well as levels of ethnic related activities, varies significantly between individuals of different population origins; and, the strength of the relationship between the two is affected by the neighborhood's ethnic character, as well as the type of activity. Thus, the ethnic character of a neihhorhood appears to serve as a facilitator or inhibitor of participation in ethnic related activities. While an objective measure of neighborhood character (index of diversity) appears to be a Somewhat better predictor of ethnic connectedness than the subjective measure based on the respondent's perception of the degree of ethnic concordance, or non-concordance, the propensity for residential segregation from the English reference group (index of dissimilarity) is a better predictor than either of the neighborhood measures. The latter finding would seem sufficient to indicate the general validity of the segregation index used in this study as a measure of sociocultural assimilation.Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canad