Using Population Mobility Data to Measure Black-White Residential Segregation in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Racial and ethnic residential segregation has long been the central focus of stratification and inequality research, and it is a linchpin of racial stratification in the U.S. Sociologists and demographers have developed a series of spatial or aspatial measures to capture distinct aspects of segregation. Although the recent development of segregation measures, for instance, spatial exposure, accounts for spatial proximity among different groups, it is static and ignores the social connectedness dimension. This article uses population mobility across communities to correct the potential bias in spatial segregation measures. As population mobility is highly racially segregated, we modify the conventional spatial isolation index by adding an extra layer of social connectedness between communities to create a socially and spatially weighted segregation measure. We then use this spatial and social segregation measure to quantify the level of blacks' isolation with whites in the local neighboring communities. Our approach can be extended to other segregation measures and provide a new perspective to assess racial segregation in the U.S.