Just a moment...

the mere fact that a region is racially and ethnically diverse does not automatically mean that people are interacting more across lines of difference, or that they want to. 78 There also needs to be infrastructure and programming that helps to facilitate interactions across difference, and a culture of connection that helps to bolster such efforts... See more

“What unites everybody around Pittsburgh is the sports. Sports unites a lot of people from all different areas around the city that meet up at that sports stadium.” — Charlie, a 64-year-old politically unaffiliated white woman from Pittsburgh

“The first thing I did that was fun when I got to Kansas City was go to a music festival. I think it was either jazz or like a Caribbean festival, and it was full of all types of people...So I think music brings us together.” — Andres, 57-year-old conservative Latino man from Kansas City “It just seems the whole community really rallies around thei... See more

people report that they want to have experiences with others that focus on common goals and shared interests. They also want these interactions to come from a place of mutual respect and understanding.

The most common reason Americans give for not interacting more with people from different backgrounds is a “lack of opportunity.” This suggests that many Americans may simply not have the chance to interact more because features of their circumstances prevent it. Some (although fewer) say bridging connection simply isn’t a priority for them. Others... See more

While being able to talk about group tensions is an important skill, and necessary for social repair, slightly greater proportions of Americans expressed interest in attending bridging activities when framed as opportunities to work together towards a mutual goal (as mentioned above). When people are working together, cross-group interaction become... See more

interest in connection generally exceeds the frequency with which they report doing it. For example, even the most frequently cited activity, “engaging in an extended conversation,” is exceeded in interest by about 30 percent, on average.

Creating more spaces for people to work together and solve community problems v —and incentivizing engagement in these spaces by removing barriers to entry—could be an important way to engage more Americans in all forms of bridging behavior.

The discrepancy between interest and engagement for “working to achieve a mutual goal” is likely reflective of the fact that this behavior often requires intentional coordination, resourcing, and planning.