Ethnic density and mental health: does it matter whether the ethnic density is co‑ethnic or multi‑ethnic and how important is change in ethnic density?

Publication type

Journal Article

Authors

Publication date

August 1, 2025

Summary:

The ethnic density thesis suggests a protective health benefit for ethnic minorities living in places with higher concentration of co-ethnic residents. This paper aims to make a step change in the examination of this thesis by proposing ethnic diversity rather than co-ethnic density will be more protective for mental health. The paper proposes ethnic diversity could be a community asset that benefits the health of all people in a neighbourhood regardless of their own ethnic group. Individual data is taken from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, 2009–2019 linked to aggregate data from the 2001 and 2011 Censuses to test the association between co-ethnic density, ethnic diversity and mental health using the General Health Questionnaire 12-item scale. The paper takes a novel approach by measuring pre-existing (in 2001) and change in (2001–2011) co-ethnic density and ethnic diversity. Moderating effects of individual ethnic group, neighbourhood deprivation and perceived social cohesion are tested. Results show lower pre-existing co-ethnic density is related to lower mental health amongst the White British ethnic group but not in most ethnic minority groups. Greater pre-existing ethnic diversity in more deprived neighbourhoods is associated with better mental health regardless of individual ethnic group. A point of contention in the findings is no association between change in ethnic diversity and mental health.

Published in

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Volume and page numbers

Volume: 12 , p.2560 -2581

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-024-02071-4

ISSN

21973792

Subjects

Notes

Copyright © 2024, W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

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• Correction to: Ethnic density and mental health: does it matter whether the ethnic density is co‑ethnic or multi‑ethnic and how important is change in ethnic density?

  1. Jiyeong Seo
  2. Stephen Jivraj

  Journal Article
  August 1, 2025