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SPATIAL DEPENDENCY OF SEGREGATION INDICES
Author(s) -
Wong David W.S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
canadian geographer / le géographe canadien
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.35
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1541-0064
pISSN - 0008-3658
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0064.1997.tb01153.x
Subject(s) - ethnic group , scale (ratio) , index (typography) , geography , group (periodic table) , population , statistics , spatial analysis , index of dissimilarity , demography , cartography , mathematics , computer science , sociology , physics , anthropology , quantum mechanics , world wide web
A few researchers have mentioned the scale sensitivity of segregation index, D. In this paper, I discuss analytically and empirically why using large enumeration areal units usually results in low segregation measures, and using small areal units produces relatively high segregation measures. The discussion is also applicable to the multi‐group variant of D. A major finding is that if people of the same ethnic groups are positively spatially auto‐correlated, increasing the size of areal units of analysis may not lower D initially, because only people of the same group are added. But enlarging the areal units subsequently may include population of other ethnic groups, and therefore could lower D. However, if the boundaries of the larger enumeration units are drawn to include only population of the same group, then D will not change significantly. Both the spatial autocorrelation of ethnic group population and zonal pattern are critical factors in determining the scale sensitivity of D.