The long run impact of childhood interracial contact on residential segregation

This paper exploits quasi-random variation in the share of Black students across cohorts within US schools to investigate whether childhood interracial contact impacts the residential choices of Whites when they are adults. We find that, 20 years after exposure, Whites who had more Black peers of the same gender in their grade go on to live in census tracts with more Black residents. Further investigation suggests that this result is unlikely to be driven by economic opportunities or social networks. Instead, the effect on residential choice appears to come from a change in preferences among Whites. • We use a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the US. • We study how exposure to Black peers during childhood affects residential choices. • Whites exposed to more same-gender Black peers in school live in areas with more Blacks 20 years later. • The observed effect on residential choices is not driven by economic opportunities or social networks. • Our results are likely to be shaped by changes in racial attitudes.