Study Finds That Increased Racial Diversity on Campus Provides Social Benefits, Particularly for White College Students

A new study authored by Mary J. Fischer, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut, finds a direct correlation with the level of racial diversity on a college campus and the number of interracial friendships. The study, published in Social Science Quarterly, found that greater diversity increased the number of interracial friendships among all racial groups. Whites were found to have fewer interracial friendships than blacks. But the study showed that the greater the racial diversity on a particular campus, the smaller the difference between whites and blacks in the number of interracial friendships.

The author concludes that the data shows the “evidence of the social benefits of assembling a diverse student body, particularly for white students.” Fischer says that her data offers a valid argument for continuing race-sensitive admissions at the nation’s highest-rated colleges and universities.

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