1. SOCIAL ISOLATION OF THE URBAN POOR: Race, Class, and Neighborhood Effects on Social Resources.
- Author
-
Tigges, Leann M., Browne, Irene, and Green, Gary P.
- Subjects
- *
URBAN poor , *SOCIAL isolation , *SOCIAL interaction , *ETHNOLOGY ,UNITED States social conditions - Abstract
The article examines the effects of race, class, and neighborhood on social isolation of the urban poor in the U.S. Members of the urban underclass are socially isolated in that they lack social ties to individuals who participate in mainstream society in the country. Assessing the social isolation thesis requires consideration of the existence of social ties and the social resources inherent in them. Using survey data from households in Atlanta, Georgia, the paper compares poor and non-poor African Americans to non-Hispanic whites on two key dimensions of social integration — the type of social relationship and extent of contact. In examining the type of social relationships, the paper looks for basic connections to other adults through shared housing and close connections to persons who are in the economic mainstream. For the latter group, the paper focuses on individuals outside the household with whom the respondent discusses important matters, so-called discussion partners. The paper measures extent of contact by the presence and number of discussion partners.
- Published
- 1998
- Full Text
- View/download PDF