The friendship networks of multiracial adolescents

Lincoln Quillian; Rozlyn Redd

doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.09.002

The friendship networks of multiracial adolescents

Lincoln Quillian^*, Rozlyn Redd

^*Corresponding author for this work

Sociology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

We investigate the friendship networks of multiracial adolescents through a comparison of the size and composition of the friendship networks of multiracial adolescents with single-race adolescents. We consider three hypotheses suggested by the literature on multiraciality and interracial friendships: (1) that multiracial adolescents have smaller friendship networks than single-race adolescents because they are more often rejected by their single-race peers, (2) that multiracial adolescents form more racially diverse friendship networks than single-race adolescents, and (3) that multiracial adolescents are especially likely to bridge (or socially connect) friendships among members of their single-race heritage background groups. Using data on adolescent friendship networks from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we find that multiracial adolescents are as popular as non-white adolescents and have social networks that are as racially diverse as the single-race groups with the most diverse friendship networks. Biracial adolescents with black ancestry have an especially high rate of friendship bridging between black persons and persons of other races, relative to black or white adolescents. The results hold using both self-identified and parental race definitions.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	279-295
Number of pages	17
Journal	Social Science Research
Volume	38
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.09.002
State	Published - Jun 2009

Funding

While working on this study, Rozlyn Redd was supported through the University of Wisconsin Center for Demography and Ecology’s NICHD Training Grant (T32 HD07014). We thank Mary Campbell for helpful suggestions and comments. This research uses data from the Add Health project, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry (PI) and Peter Bearman, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with cooperative funding from 17 other agencies. Persons interested in obtaining data files from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health should contact Add Health, Carolina Population Center, 123 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-2524 ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ).

Keywords

Friendships
Mixed race
Multiracial
Social networks

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Education
Sociology and Political Science

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10.1016/j.ssresearch.2008.09.002

Cite this

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title = "The friendship networks of multiracial adolescents",

abstract = "We investigate the friendship networks of multiracial adolescents through a comparison of the size and composition of the friendship networks of multiracial adolescents with single-race adolescents. We consider three hypotheses suggested by the literature on multiraciality and interracial friendships: (1) that multiracial adolescents have smaller friendship networks than single-race adolescents because they are more often rejected by their single-race peers, (2) that multiracial adolescents form more racially diverse friendship networks than single-race adolescents, and (3) that multiracial adolescents are especially likely to bridge (or socially connect) friendships among members of their single-race heritage background groups. Using data on adolescent friendship networks from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we find that multiracial adolescents are as popular as non-white adolescents and have social networks that are as racially diverse as the single-race groups with the most diverse friendship networks. Biracial adolescents with black ancestry have an especially high rate of friendship bridging between black persons and persons of other races, relative to black or white adolescents. The results hold using both self-identified and parental race definitions.",

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note = "Funding Information: While working on this study, Rozlyn Redd was supported through the University of Wisconsin Center for Demography and Ecology{\textquoteright}s NICHD Training Grant (T32 HD07014). We thank Mary Campbell for helpful suggestions and comments. This research uses data from the Add Health project, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry (PI) and Peter Bearman, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with cooperative funding from 17 other agencies. Persons interested in obtaining data files from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health should contact Add Health, Carolina Population Center, 123 West Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-2524 ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). ",

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The friendship networks of multiracial adolescents

Abstract

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