The Color of Friendship: The Impact of Ethnic Identity on the Ethnic Composition of Adolescent Friend Groups

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Social and Affiliative Groupings in Complex Social and Educational Contexts

Abstract

This study explores the potential ways in which ethnic identity influences the development of same ethnic and cross ethnic friendships within an ethnically diverse sample of 6th grade students. To complete this study, a subset of 4,577 6th grade students from the UCLA Middle School Diversity Project was used. Findings from this study suggest that more ethnic pride is related to a greater proportion of same ethnic friends (B=.079; p<.05). Subsequently this study also illustrates that more out-group orientation is related to a greater proportion of cross-ethnic friends (B=.07; p<.01). Thus, students high in both ethnic pride and out-group orientation tend to develop both same ethnic and cross ethnic friendships.

Authors

• Amirah Lindsey Saafir, University of California - Los Angeles

• Sandra Graham, University of California - Los Angeles