Friendship Diversity and Adolescents’ Civic Action and Commitment to Social Change

This study examined whether racial and ethnic friendship diversity predicted adolescents’ civic action and commitment to social change, and the pathways leading to these outcomes. Using 2 years of data from a large, diverse sample of high school students (N = 3322; 47% female; Mage at T1 = 17.53; 11% Black/African American, 16% East/Southeast Asian, 36% Latiné, 24% White, 12% Multiracial/Biracial), findings revealed that friendship diversity at T1 (11th grade) predicted higher civic action and commitment 1 year later at T2 (12th grade). Across two mediation models, these associations operated indirectly through greater awareness of inequality and more positive beliefs about the value of diversity. Direct effects were nonsignificant once mediators were included. Multigroup tests showed similar pathways across racial/ethnic groups. Findings highlight friendship diversity as a developmental context that predicted greater awareness of inequality and valuing of diversity, which in turn was associated with civic action and commitment to social change. Results underscore the importance of racially and ethnically diverse friendship networks and awareness of inequality and valuing diversity as pathways to promote adolescents’ civic action and commitment social change.