There has scarcely been a more controversial topic in recent years than immigration, and while it seems to have been a debate for which facts and evidence have not been welcome, it’s nonetheless important to try and bring as much of it to the table as possible to ensure we’re informed.

The latest such evidence comes from a study by Dartmouth College that looks at how multi-ethnic neighborhoods in the UK and US retain (or lose) their diversity, and how this affects their stability over a prolonged period.

The researchers examined neighborhood diversity via census data from 1991 to 2011 and classed a diverse neighborhood as one in which at least five or more ethnic groups were represented and none of them had more than 45% of the neighborhood’s population.

Ethnic mix

With some 85% of the UK population still classed as white in the 2011 census, it was perhaps not surprising that most neighborhoods were majority white.  The overall share of such neighborhoods is declining, however, in favor of more diverse neighborhoods.

The data shows that multi-ethnic neighborhoods have grown from 0.5% of all neighborhoods in 1991 to 1.5% in 2001 and just over 4% by 2011.  This means some 1,417 neighborhoods out of a total of 32,944.  While this appears to be a small number, such neighborhoods now rank as the third most common type, with 2.5 million people living in them.

It’s a finding the researchers believe demonstrates the stability of multi-ethnic neighborhoods in the UK, as 88% of the multi-ethnic neighborhoods in 1991 had retained their diversity when assessed again in 2001.  What’s more, a whopping 95% of those assessed in 2001 had retained their diversity in 2011.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, London was home to the most diverse communities, accounting for 73% of multi-ethnic neighborhood stability in 2011.

Having a stake

The researchers pondered whether property ownership may play a role in this stability, or even the age breakdown of the communities, but neither appeared to be the case.  Just 42% of the population in such diverse communities owned their homes, compared to 67% of residents in more homogenous neighborhoods.

The age breakdown of the diverse neighborhoods also tended to veer towards younger people, which the researchers believe reflects the migration patterns in the country.

“In England, we suspect people are seeking multi-ethnic diverse neighborhoods out because they are so diverse,” the researchers say. “These places may be stable because they are desirable. The typical population churn of people moving in and out may actually be contributing to this stability.”

A different picture

While a high degree of stability was found in such neighborhoods in the UK, the same could not be said of the US.  Instead, highly diverse neighborhoods were often found to be transitionary, with a shift from being predominantly white to predominantly Latino areas.

Indeed, previous research by the team has shown that less than half of neighborhoods were able to retain their high levels of diversity for longer than a decade.

The researchers believe, however, that their findings dispel the notion that the UK’s neighborhoods are becoming more segregated, as the data suggests a much greater level of intermixing and integration than is popularly supposed.  This, they hope, will help to develop greater tolerance and reduce discrimination.