The Where, When, and How of Diversity: How Space, Time, and Incomes Configure the Racial-Ethnic Composition of Networks

Abstract

This article investigates the relationship between income and the diversity of sociospatial networks as described by high-density mobile phone application (MPA) Global Positioning System data. Looking at the counties that contain the Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles metropolitan regions in August and September 2022, this study asks the following questions: How does the racial-ethnic diversity and spatial extent of network of activity space-times—the place and time of daily activities—vary across different income levels? Given the existing literature, are more diverse networks composed of higher income classes? Are there key types of activity space-times that are more likely to be in these networks? Given that the overlap of activity spaces might lead to the formation of stronger social ties, this study aims to provide new evidence of the role of activity spaces in determining the diversity of social exposures with high-resolution spatiotemporal MPA activity. Results suggest that income is an important determinant of diversity in networks, with the highest and lowest income groups both exhibiting the least diversity in networks, whereas institutional spaces like church or school and other surprising places such as the dentist’s office are the most likely activity space-times in these networks.