According to Max Friedrich Steinhardt, an obvious explanation might be that a racially diverse environment increases the opportunities for getting to know people of other races. However, this cannot be a decisive factor, as the researchers observed a correlation between childhood contacts and adult social relationships regardless of location, time, and social networks. The findings indicate that neither performance in school, educational level achieved, nor later success in the labor market is significant in determining whether adults have racially diverse social relationships. The empirical findings indicate that racial diversity in schools leads individuals to see race and color as being irrelevant for partner choice.

The researchers use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health). This survey collected information on family background, health behaviors, friendships, and romantic relationships from US students in grades 7-12 in 1994-1995 and then followed up over a decade later to survey a sample of these students on their romantic partners.

The authors of the new study say it is of great relevance, particularly in the United States, whether interracial contact in schools has an influence on interracial adult relationships. Interracial marriage and romantic partnerships are still rare in the United States, where currently fewer than eight percent of married blacks intermarry with whites. Scientists refer to the fact that people tend to choose partners who display certain characteristics that are similar to them as assortative matching. Prof. Steinhardt explains that the phenomenon of assortative matching is economically relevant because it affects the labor market, income inequality, and transgenerational income mobility.

“The findings of this study increase our understanding of how early interracial contact can change attitudes about the importance of these aspects of dating and partner selection,” says Prof. Steinhardt. This indicates that programs designed to increase racial diversity in schools can reduce prejudice and promote social integration.