Swedish Study Finds Ethnic Diversity Bad for Social Cohesion

New research from Gothenburg University on solidarity in Sweden backs up evidence from previous studies that ethnic diversity is bad for social cohesion. 

The SOM Institute’s findings that people feel less solidarity with ethnic groups other than their own add to a growing body of research showing ethnic diversity has a negative effect on societal cohesion.

U.S. researchers who in 2013 showed homogeneous or highly segregated neighbourhoods are almost always more cohesive than those which are diverse, reported that diversity prevents “the formation of dense interpersonal networks that are necessary to promote sense of community”.

Similarly, 2014 research from Australia found diversity had a negative impact on social cohesion and caused residents to “hunker down”, avoiding engagement with the community.

Researchers said their work supports the theory of Robert Putnam, whose U.S. study yielded similar results, that ethnic diversity erodes trust.

And a 2014 study by the University of North Carolina which examined regions across Europe, found that “an increase in immigration is related to a decrease in social trust”.

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