Interracial friendships
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interracial friendships are defined as a friendship between two or more people with different color skin, such as a white person being friends with a black person. In the early parts of the 21st century, these types of relationships have started to become more frequent than ever before in the United States.[1]
The U.S. Census Bureau states that thirty-three percent of children under 18 are of racial or ethnic minorities. Twenty percent of these children are immigrants themselves, or children of immigrants.[citation needed] The media is playing a heavy role in the change of attitude and beliefs about interracial relationships. Television shows, movies, advertisements, and the news all play a part in shaping the national view of interracial friendships and creating more diverse norms for everyday society to follow.[2]
[edit] Studies
A study of interracial friendships between 1976 and 1995 of high school seniors showed that between young black and white males, there exists a racial rift of interracial friendship ties. Young black males are less likely to interact and befriend whites, while young white males make many interracial friends. Black youths showed more of a dislike for interracial contact because of parental values and learned norms.[1] A study of dormitory living of incoming freshmen students to Duke University in 2001 found interesting statistics regarding interracial friendships. The roommates assigned to live with a roommate of another race had a high tendency of having more interracial friends. Intraracial roommates did not have a good tendency of making interracial friends. Students placed in dormitories with many students of other races had a significant amount of interracial friendships.[3] A February 2006 analysis of the new generation of teenage adolescents born in the middle to late 1980’s shows the most race tolerant age of individuals. The generation makes up approximately 46.3 million of American’s between 14 and 24 in today’s society. A study by Teenage Research Unlimited found that 6 in 10 adolescents of this age group have friends of different races. The Gallup Poll in 2006 indicated sixty percent of adolescents and young adults have dated a member of a different race. Ninety-five percent of these polled individuals also approve of interracial relationships.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Race Relations and American Youth, 1976-1995.(1999). Public opinion quarterly [0033-362X], 63(1), 109-148.
- ^ a b Jayson, S. (2006, February 8). A new generation doesn't blink an eye at interracial relationships. USA Today. Retrieved April 14, 2006.
- ^ Tyson, W. (2005). Roommate and Residence Hall Racial Composition Effects on Interacial Friendships among First-Year College Students. Masters Abstracts International, 65 (12), 4738-A. Abstract retrieved April 23, 2006, from Duke University, The Humanities and Social Sciences.
