Cross-ethnic friendships: Are they really rare? Evidence from secondary schools around London

Bagci, Sabahat C.; Kumashiro, Madoka; Smith, Peter K.; Blumberg, Herbert and Rutland, Adam. 2014. Cross-ethnic friendships: Are they really rare? Evidence from secondary schools around London. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 41, pp. 125-137. ISSN 0147-1767 [Article]

[img]
Preview
Text
Bagci et al 2014 cross ethnic friendships rarity postprint.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.

Download (838kB) | Preview

Abstract or Description

This study examined current cross-ethnic friendship patterns in secondary schools around London, UK, and the effects of ethnic group and ethnic diversity on cross-ethnic friendship selection and quality. Questionnaires including self-report ethnic group definitions and measures of same-/cross-ethnic friendship numbers, along with the quality of 3 best cross-ethnic friends, were distributed to 684 Year 7 (aged 11) British students (256 White European, 63 Middle Easterner, 118 Black, 247 South Asian) recruited from 9 multi-ethnic secondary schools (37 classrooms) in Greater London. In contrast to most previous research which suggested the relative rarity of cross-ethnic friendships, findings showed that cross-ethnic friendships were in fact frequent and of high quality, outnumbering same-ethnic friendships for all ethnic groups. After controlling for gender, classroom gender composition, SES, percentage of available same-ethnic peers, ethnic identity and perceived ethnic discrimination, classroom ethnic diversity still had a marginally positive effect on cross-ethnic friendship selection, but had no effect on cross-ethnic friendship quality. White British children reported higher cross-ethnic friendship selection and lower cross-ethnic friendship quality compared to other ethnic groups, but this depended on classroom ethnic diversity. Implications of the findings are discussed in the light of intergroup contact and friendship formation theories. We conclude that research on cross-ethnic friendships is crucial in providing insights into how intergroup relationships are formed during early adolescence in modern multiethnic settings like London secondary schools.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2014.04.001

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
July 2014Published
9 May 2014Published Online
18 April 2014Accepted

Item ID:

17765

Date Deposited:

28 Sep 2017 13:57

Last Modified:

06 Jan 2020 15:34

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/17765

View statistics for this item...

Edit Record Edit Record (login required)