The Diversity Challenge

"This important book reports major findings from a unique study of interethnic perceptions, attitudes, and behavior in an exceptionally diverse university setting. At the time data collection for this project began, UCLA was the most ethnically diverse major university in the country. No single ethnic category constituted a numerical majority–a level of diversity yet to be matched in later times or in other regions of the country, but foreshadowing the demographic makeup of universities of the future. A longitudinal design provided an opportunity to assess the influence of college experiences across a five-year span that is unprecedented in this area of research. The results will be of substantial interest across the social science disciplines and to educational researchers and practitioners. The book is written at a level that will be accessible to an intelligent layperson while at the same time providing enough technical detail to satisfy experts in the field. The Diversity Challenge is a must read for anyone interested in intergroup relations in a multicultural society."
- MARILYNN B. BREWER, Regents Eminent Scholar Professor in Social Psychology, Ohio State University

"This exceptional book summarizes results from the authors' landmark study of intergroup relations on the college campus. Through their extensive and multi-faceted longitudinal analysis. Jim Sidanius, Shana Levin, Colette van Laar, and David O. Sears provide us with compelling new insights regarding the benefits and challenges of diverse academic environments, and how a range of factors–from the psychological to the structural–can impact students' social and political attitudes. Moving beyond common debates about diversity. The Diversity Challenge pushes us to recognize the complex and dynamic nature of intergroup relations, taking into account both the attitudes people bring to diverse contexts, and how their attitudes continue to grow and change through experiences with other groups."
-LINDA R. TROPP, director, Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration, University of Massacbusetts, Amherst

"This book provides a treasure trove of empirical data that deepen our understanding of issues of ethnic diversity among college students. The authors give readers a detailed and fascinating picture of the dynamics of ethnicity in higher education. Joining particular findings with social scientific theories about social identity and of intergroup relations. The Diversity Challenge can help us improve both our theories and our realities–enhancing the education delivered at the multi-ethnic university, today and in the decades to come."
-FAYE J. CROSBY, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz

College campuses provide ideal natural settings for studying diversity: they allow us to see what happens when students of all different backgrounds sit side by side in classrooms, live together in residence halls, and interact in one social space. By opening a window onto the experiences and evolving identities of individuals in these exceptionally diverse environments, we can gain a better understanding of the possibilities and challenges we face as a multicultural nation. The Diversity Challenge—the largest and most comprehensive study to date on college campus diversity—synthesizes over five years’ worth of research by an interdisciplinary team of experts to explore how a highly diverse environment and policies that promote cultural diversity affect social relations, identity formation, and a variety of racial and political attitudes. The result is a fascinating case study of the ways in which individuals grow and groups interact in a world where ethnic and racial difference is the norm.

The authors of The Diversity Challenge followed 2,000 UCLA students for five years in order to see how diversity affects identities, attitudes, and group conflicts over time. They found that racial prejudice generally decreased with exposure to the ethnically diverse college environment. Students who were randomly assigned to roommates of a different ethnicity developed more favorable attitudes toward students of different backgrounds, and the same associations held for friendship and dating patterns. By contrast, students who interacted mainly with others of similar backgrounds were more likely to exhibit bias toward others and perceive discrimination against their group. Likewise, the authors found that involvement in ethnically segregated student organizations sharpened perceptions of discrimination and aggravated conflict between groups. The Diversity Challenge also reports compelling new evidence that a strong ethnic identity can coexist with a larger community identity: students from all ethnic groups were equally likely to identify themselves as a part of the broader UCLA community. Overall, the authors note that on many measures, the racial and political attitudes of the students were remarkably consistent throughout the five year study. But the transformations that did take place provide us with a wealth of information on how diversity affects individuals, groups, and the cohesion of a community.

Theoretically informed and empirically grounded, The Diversity Challenge is an illuminating and provocative portrait of one of the most diverse college campuses in the nation. The story of multicultural UCLA has significant and far-reaching implications for our nation, as we face similar challenges—and opportunities—on a much larger scale.

JIM SIDANIUS is professor of psychology and African American Studies at Harvard University.

SHANA LEVIN is associate professor of psychology at Claremont McKenna College.

COLETTE VAN LAAR is professor of social psychology at Leiden University, the Netherlands.

DAVID O. SEARS is distinguished professor of psychology and political science and director of the Institute for Social Science Research at the University of California, Los Angeles.