"The New White Flight": Investigating White Flight from Asian Communities in California Cities

Abstract

Coined by the Wall Street Journal in a 2005 article, ?The New White Flight? refers to the exceptional case of White migration from middle to upper class suburbs that have a pronounced Asian population. This research used data from the 1990 and 2000 United States Census to perform a longitudinal analysis of white flight in California cities (n=26). In particular, this study focused on cities in California that had an Asian population that encompassed at least 30% of the overall population. The results of the analyses show that in cities with at least a 30% Asian population by the year 2000, the growth rates of white population indicate a general decrease in white population over the ten-year period. This research explores possible explanations for the white flight, including competition between whites and Asians for social and political capital within their respective cities. These finding will be used to inform an ethnographic exploration of white flight, its ramifications for community development, race relations, and city planning.