The Downside of Diversity

Harvard University political scientist Robert Putnam has found that the greater the diversity in a community, the fewer people vote and less they volunteer, the less they give to charity and work on community projects.

"In the most diverse communities, neighbors only trust each other half as much as they do in the most homogenous settings. The study found that virtually all measures of civic health are lower in more diverse settings." In a story written on 8/5/97, it appeared under the byline of Michael Jonas of the Boston Globe.

"Since Putnam is a liberal academic whose own values put him squarely in the pro-diversity camp, his findings have posed a challenge. Suddenly fiinding himself the bearer of bad news, Putnam has struggled with how to present his work."