Who Becomes and Who Stays Friends? Relating Ethnic Homophily and Reciprocity in Friendship Creation and Maintenance in Classrooms

• In Event: Social Participation: A Multiple-Perspective Approach

Abstract

Our study investigates ethnic friendship segregation and the related mechanism of homophily in 189 Swedish 8th grade school classrooms. Segregation is here understood as macro-level phenomenon measurable for the cross-section of a network and homophily as an individual level mechanism which can cause the first. Our study extends the investigation of homophily by differentiating in-group tendencies of friendship creation and maintenance. It refers to the tendency of individuals rather creating and preserving friendship to their in-group than their out-group. Since reciprocity is a strong predictor of friendship formation and preservation, we argue that group differences in reciprocity can be related to patterns of homophily. In analogue to random coefficients estimation procedures, we apply hierarchical stochastic actor-oriented models (HSAOM) for longitudinal network data and find homophily for friendship creation which does not differ between one-sided and reciprocated nominations. Pupils create one-sided and reciprocated friendships more likely with peers of shared migration background than with those of the respective outgroup. However, while one-sided friendships are more likely to be maintained between pupils of the same background, the opposite is the case for reciprocated friendships. Thus, once pupils of different background establish mutual friendships these show to be more stable than mutual friendships to the in-group.

Authors

• Robert L. Hellpap, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen

• Jan O. Jonsson, Nuffield College - Oxford

• Isabel Raabe, University of Zurich