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Racial Blind Spots: A Barrier to Integrated

Communities in Chicago?Maria Krysan

Department of Sociology andInstitute of Government and Public Affairs

University of Illinois at Chicago

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Three Questions About Blind Spots

Do blacks, whites, and Latinos have differentcommunity blind spots?

Do blacks, whites and Latinos of the same social,

economic and geographic background havedifferent blind spots?

Does community racial/ethnic composition

predict blind spots, net of the respondents andcommunitys other characteristics?

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Data Source: 2005 Chicago Area Study

Multi-stage area probability sample

Cook County residents aged 21 and older

Face-to-face survey interviews

Interviews conducted in English and Spanish

Sample Size:

Whites (n=279)

Blacks (n=237)

Latinos (n=235)

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Question #1

Do Blacks, Whites, and Latinos have differentcommunity blind spots?

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Whites Blind Spots (14 communities where

33% or greater dont know anything about)

Pilsen/Little Village (35%)West Chicago (44%)

Homewood/Flossmoor (38%)Olympia Fields (45%)

North Chicago (39%)South Shore (48%)

Norwood Park (39%)Matteson (49%)

Harvey (42%)Bronzeville (55%)

Beverly (43%)Morgan Park (56%)

Country Club Hills (43%)Ashburn (65%)

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African Americans Blind Spots (13 communities

where 33% or greater dont know anything about)

Elgin (42%)

Uptown (33%)Albany Park (43%)

Downers Grove (34%)West Chicago (43%)

Logan Square (35%)Waukegan (46%)

Arlington Heights (37%)Norwood Park (54%)

Glenview (40%)Crystal Lake (54%)

North Chicago (41%)Libertyville (55%)

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Latinos Blind Spots (28 communities where

33% or greater dont know anything about)

Lakeview

(33%)

Naperville

(44%)

Downers

Grove (47%)

Morgan Park

(60%)

Uptown (37%)Norwood Park

(44%)

Aurora (47%)Home/Floss

(63%)

Schaumburg

(37%)

South Shore

(45%)

Waukegan

(49%)

Country Club

Hills (63%)

Skokie (37%)N. Chicago

(45%)

Beverly (50%)Libertyville

(64%)

Bridgeport

(37%)

Bronzeville

(46%)

W. Chicago

(54%)

Matteson

(68%)

Oak Lawn

(38%)

Hyde Park

(46%)

Harvey (56%)Ashburn (69%)

Arlington Hts.

(42%)

Bolingbrook

(46%)

Crystal Lake

(60%)

Olympia Fields

(71%)

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Overlap In Community Blind Spots: Whites, African

Americans and Latinos

West Chicago

(54%)

West Chicago

(43%)

West Chicago

(44%)

Norwood Park(44%)

Norwood Park(54%)

Norwood Park(39%)

North Chicago

(45%)

North Chicago

(41%)

North Chicago

(39%)

LatinosAfrican

Americans

Whites

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Overlap in Community Blind Spots: Whites and African

Americans

African AmericansWhites

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Overlap in Community Blind Spots: Whites and Latinos

South Shore (45%)South Shore (48%)

Olympia Fields (71%)Olympia Fields (45%)

Beverly (50%)Beverly (43%)

Morgan Park (60%)Morgan Park (56%)

Matteson (68%)Matteson (49%)

Homewood/Flossmoor (63%)Homewood/Flossmoor (38%)

Harvey (56%)Harvey (42%)Country Club Hills (63%)Country Club Hills (43%)

Bronzeville (46%)Bronzeville (55%)

Ashburn (69%)Ashburn (65%)

LatinosWhites

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Overlap in Community Blind Spots: African Americans

and Latinos

Crystal Lake (60%)Crystal Lake (54%)

Waukegan (49%)Waukegan (46%)

Uptown (37%)Uptown (33%)Libertyville (64%)Libertyville (55%)

Downers Grove (47%)Downers Grove (34%)

Arlington Heights (42%)Arlington Heights (37%)

LatinosAfrican Americans

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Question #2

Do blacks, whites and Latinos of the same social,economic and geographic background still have

different blind spots?

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Control Variables

Education

Income

Age

Gender

Presence of Children

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Racial Differences in Blind Spots:

Blacks vs. Whites

Hyde Park

South ShoreHome/Floss

Pilsen/Little VillageHarvey

Olympia FieldsCountry Club Hills

Oak LawnBronzeville

Morgan ParkBridgeportWaukegan

MaywoodBeverlyLibertyville

MattesonAustinCrystal Lake

LoopAshburnArlington Heights

Whites > Blacks,cont.

Whites > BlacksBlacks > Whites

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Racial Differences in Blind Spots:

Latinos vs. Whites

South ShoreHumboldt Park

Pilsen/LVCiceroOak LawnBronzevilleWaukegan

Melrose ParkBridgeportSchaumburg

Morgan ParkBeverlyLibertyvilleMaywoodAustinCrystal Lake

Logan SquareAshburnArlington Hts.

Whites >Latinos, cont.

Whites >Latinos

Latinos >Whites

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Racial Differences in Blind Spots:

Blacks vs. Latinos

South Shore

Schaumburg

Olympia FieldsMorgan Park

Logan SquareMatteson

Humboldt ParkHyde Park

Melrose ParkHomewood/Flossmoor

BerwynHarvey

CiceroCrystal Lake

Pilsen/Little VillageCountry Club HillsBlacks > LatinosLatinos > Blacks

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Question #3

Does community racial/ethnic compositionpredict blind spots, net of the respondents and

communitys other characteristics? That is, are

the blind spots, racial blind spots?

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Question #3, Summary of Effects of

Community Racial Composition

-++

% foreign

born

n/a--% Latino

n.s.n/a+% black

-n.s.n/a% white

LatinoRespondents

AfricanAmerican

Respondents

WhiteRespondents

CommunityRacial

Composition

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Question #3, Summary of Effects of

Community Racial Composition

-++

% foreign

born

n/a--% Latino

n.s.n/a+% black

-n.s.n/a% white

LatinoRespondents

AfricanAmerican

Respondents

WhiteRespondents

CommunityRacial

Composition

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Question #3, Summary of Effects of

Community Racial Composition

-++

% foreign

born

n/a--% Latino

n.s.n/a+% black

-n.s.n/a% white

LatinoRespondents

AfricanAmerican

Respondents

WhiteRespondents

CommunityRacial

Composition

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Conclusions

Community knowledgeor the lack thereofmay be abarrier to residential integration.

Currently integrated communities must have demand

from all groups; but whites are relatively less

knowledgeable about integrated black-white communitiesand white-Latino communities.

Latinos appear to be knowledgeable about many different

kinds of communitiesmore so than whitesbut only

after controlling for background characteristics.

African Americans have relatively few blind spots.

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Racial/Ethnic Identity of Buyers Real

Estate Agent by Race/Ethnicity

98

70 70

0

20

40

60

80

100

Same Race

Whites

Blacks

Latinos

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Policy Implications

In addition to enforcement and testing, the Fair HousingAct of 1968 mandated the affirmative furthering ofintegrated housing.

This study suggests that community knowledge is anarea where relatively unobtrusive policies might be

instituted, to help break down racialized community blindspots through education and outreach.

The Oak Park Regional Housing Center, for example, works toaffirmatively market the racially integrated community of OakPark. That it is an integrated community equally well-knownamong whites, blacks, and Latinos is suggestive of itssuccess.

Movesmart.org, which seeks to educate homeseekers via theinternet (an increasingly important tool for homeseekers) isalso another mechanism for overcoming racial blind spots.