Blackwell Reference Online

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Race and ethnicity are important factors in friendship formation. People tend to form friendships with others who live near them and who occupy similar social positions, belong to the same organizations, and are like themselves in terms of attitudes, values, and behaviors. Race and ethnicity are often cues of these similarities; therefore, race and ethnicity structure friendship formation ( McPherson et al. 2001 ). People are likely to associate with others of their own race if the racial composition of the populations and distribution of members of a race throughout substructures of the population provide opportunities for same-race friendships to form. Researchers have found evidence that race and ethnicity influence various types of relationships, ranging from marriage to workplace relationships to friendships to mere discussion networks ( McPherson et al. 2001 ). These studies show that interracial relationships occur less often than would be expected given the available opportunities for them. Structures such as families, workplaces, organizations, and neighborhoods bring people together as kin, co-workers, members, and neighbors, but they do not ensure the formation of strong ties or close friendships ( Feld & Carter 1998 ). A recent Brown University study finds that interracial friendships are no more common in the United States than they are in post-apartheid South Africa, ... log in or subscribe to read full text