Who Wants Segregation?
It is conventional to assume that segregation is caused by the refusal of whites to live with non-whites, and by malign forces that confine minorities in enclaves. But how realistic is it to think that all blacks want white neighbors, or that Asians want to live with Hispanics? When asked point-blank, ordinary Americans do not show much reverence for integration. A statewide survey of California conducted by Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies in late 1997 found that a majority of whites, Hispanics, blacks and Asians agreed with the statement that “people are happier when segregated.” When the NAACP and Hamilton College commissioned a poll of “Generation X” opinions on race, they found that about half of 18- to 29-year-olds (52 percent of whites, 40 percent of blacks) agreed with the statement that “it’s OK if the races are basically separate from one another as long as everyone has equal opportunity.” Scholars are finally beginning to understand this. A study by the Metropoli
