Segregation in the Classroom

Abstract

Schelling’s segregation model, one of the most influential contributions to the theory of collective choice, has almost exclusively been applied to the study of the housing market. We employ this analytical framework for a field experiment on the seating decisions within a classroom and thus a low-cost decision-making situation. In contrast to residential choices, individuals face minimal costs when choosing a seat and cannot within our subject pool reduce their neighbourhood choices to a visible criterion such as race. The experiment reveals nevertheless considerable segregation based on individual characteristics even in the absence of such a direct selection mechanism. Individual choices are largely determined by the ‘costs’ of a seat, the participants’ psychological background and their self-declared seating behaviour. We also observe structure in the seating dynamic as individuals tend to sit in clusters, but avoid being directly placed next to another person. Our results strongly support the assertion that auditorium seating and equivalent social processes are not random but guided by both strategic reasoning and individual preferences.