Admiration for “ethnic diversity” diminishes
By MIKE SNYDER
As the size of Harris County’s young Latino population overtakes its aging Anglos, anti-immigration sentiment is increasing among area residents while admiration for ethnic diversity diminishes, the 2007 Houston Area Survey shows.
The survey, released Friday, also shows that crime has eclipsed traffic and the economy as the perceived greatest problem in the area for the second consecutive year. While Houston’s overall crime rate fell more than 5 percent last year compared with 2005, the city experienced a 5 percent spike in its homicide rate.
The findings about immigration, the value of ethnic diversity and relations among ethnic groups should concern the leaders of a city that has proudly billed itself as a place where different cultures flourish, said Dr. Stephen Klineberg, the Rice University sociology professor who directs the survey.
“It’s a troubling trend,” Klineberg said. “The hallmark of Houston is ethnic diversity.”
Professor Klineberg resides in a predominately white suburb of Houston. — Editor
Stephen L. Klineberg, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Sociology, MS-28
Office: SH 588
Tel. (713)348-3484
Fax (713)348-5296
Email: slk@rice.edu