Abstract

A Comparison of Aspatial and Spatial Measures of Segregation
Track: Education
Authors: Molly Cohn, Saul Jackman

The modifiable areal unit problem arises when the boundaries that define neighborhoods affect perceived levels of segregation. Scholars postulate that this problem is exacerbated when neighborhoods are defined as administrative units; doing so leads to an aspatial measure of segregation, which may not adequately account for the spatial relationships among residential locations. We assess whether aspatial and spatial definitions of neighborhoods produce different measures of income segregation. Using an original individual-level dataset on income, we define individuals' neighborhoods in three ways-two aspatial and one spatial. Based on these definitions of neighborhoods, we then estimate residential income segregation using the local Moran's I statistic. We find that the three measures generate different perceived levels of income segregation. Specifically, we observe less income segregation when using the aspatial measures as compared to the spatial one. These inconsistencies are systematic, as they lead to different inferences when used to predict individual voter turnout.