Does differential intergroup contact explain contrasting integration preferences?

Determine whether the observed differences in neighborhood integration preferences between Black and White individuals—specifically, that Black respondents more often prefer integrated neighborhoods while White respondents prefer predominantly White neighborhoods, as reported by the 1976 and 1992 Detroit Area Surveys—are caused by differential rates of intergroup contact, namely that Black individuals come into contact with White individuals more frequently than White individuals come into contact with Black individuals.

Background

The paper extends Schelling’s segregation model by incorporating intergroup contact dynamics and media influence on intolerance. The authors compare their modeling assumptions with empirical patterns from the Detroit Area Survey (1976 and 1992), which show that Black respondents tend to prefer integrated neighborhoods, while White respondents tend to prefer predominantly White neighborhoods.

Within this context, the authors explicitly conjecture that these contrasting preferences may stem from asymmetric intergroup contact: Black individuals may more frequently encounter White individuals than vice versa. Validating this conjecture would clarify a proposed mechanism linking contact frequency to integration preferences and inform how contact-based interventions are modeled and evaluated.