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1. Race/Ethnicity and Employment Insecurity: Impacts of COVID-19 on the US Labor Force and Beyond

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-024-09911-5  

   Wang, Qingfang; Kang, Wei (August 2024, Population Research and Policy Review)

   Abstract Using the Household Pulse Survey and American Community Survey, this study examines employment insecurity experienced across different racial/ethnic groups of the U.S. labor force under the pandemic disruptions. It highlights significant employment security disparities based on race, ethnicity, and income during the pandemic. However, there are no significant gender and racial disparities within the lowest income group when controlling for other conditions. In contrast, gender and racial disparities in EI are much more pronounced among mid-to-high income groups. Non-White individuals were disproportionately affected by job loss due to health and COVID-related employment issues, unlike Whites who faced unemployment more due to other factors. This pattern was more evident among lower-income groups. The trends shifted in later stages, with high-income Black and Hispanic workers becoming more likely to be unemployed due to non-health and non-employment reasons. Middle-income workers across all races were least likely to stop working for reasons other than COVID-related health or employment issues. In addition, regardless race or ethnicity, women more likely to be unemployed due to health reasons and less so due to employment issues compared to men, and the gender disparities increased with higher household incomes. We propose that the apparent immediate effects of the pandemic are actually indicative of deeper, systemic issues within the U.S. labor market, specifically the occupational segregation tied to race/ethnicity, gender, and class. Recovery efforts must take a holistic approach and integrate economic development policies, workforce development strategies, and social policies targeting poverty alleviation, health disparities, and people of color. 

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2. Highlighting health consequences of racial disparities sparks support for action

   https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh4262  

   Brown, Riana M; Dietze, Pia; Craig, Maureen A (December 2023, Science)

   Racial disparities arise across many vital areas of American life, including employment, health, and interpersonal treatment. For example, one in three Black children lives in poverty (versus one in nine white children), and, on average, Black Americans live four fewer years compared with white Americans. Which disparity is more likely to spark reduction efforts? We find that highlighting disparities in health-related (versus economic) outcomes spurs greater social media engagement and support for disparity-mitigating policy. Further, reading about racial health disparities elicits greater support for action (e.g., protesting) compared with economic- or belonging-based disparities. This occurs in part because people view health disparities as violating morally sacred values, which enhances perceived injustice. This work elucidates which manifestations of racial inequality are most likely to prompt Americans to action. 

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3. Exploring income and racial inequality in preparedness for Hurricane Ida (2021): insights from digital footprint data

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad08fa  

   Li, Qingchun; Ramaswami, Anu; Lin, Ning (November 2023, Environmental Research Letters)

   Abstract Preparedness for adverse events is critical to building urban resilience to climate-related risks. While most extant studies investigate preparedness patterns based on survey data, this study explores the potential of big digital footprint data (i.e. population visits to points of interest (POI)) to investigate preparedness patterns in the real case of Hurricane Ida (2021). We further investigate income and racial inequality in preparedness by combining the digital footprint data with demographic and socioeconomic data. A clear pattern of preparedness was seen in Louisiana with aggregated visits to grocery stores, gasoline stations, and construction supply dealers increasing by nearly 9%, 12%, and 10% respectively, representing three types of preparedness: survival, mobility planning, and hazard mitigation. Preparedness for Hurricane Ida was not seen in New York and New Jersey states. Inequality analyses for Louisiana across census block groups (CBGs) demonstrate that CBGs with higher income have more (nearly 8% greater) preparedness in visiting gasoline stations, while CBGs with a larger percentage of the white population have more preparedness in visiting grocery stores (nearly 12% more) in the lowest income groups. The results indicate that income and racial inequality differ across different preparedness in terms of visiting different POIs. 

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4. Shifting Tides: The Evolution of Racial Inequality in Higher Education from the 1980s through the 2010s

   Oh, Byeongdon; Tilbrook, Ned; Shifrer, Dara (January 2024, Socius)

   Amid the proliferation of state-level bans on race-based affirmative action in higher education, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on June 29, 2023, dismantled race-conscious college admission policies, intensifying concerns about the persistence and potential increase of racial inequality in higher education. The authors analyze four restricted-use national survey datasets to investigate racial disparities in college attendance outcomes from the 1980s through the 2010s. Although college entrance rates increased for all racial groups, Black and Hispanic youth became increasingly less likely than their White peers to attend four-year selective colleges. In the 2010s cohort, Black and Hispanic youth were 8 and 7 percentage points, respectively, less likely than their White counterparts to secure admission to four-year selective colleges, even after controlling for parents’ income, education, and other family background variables. The findings underscore the urgent need for proactive policy interventions to address the widening racial inequality in attending selective postsecondary institutions. 

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5. How the marketing of real estate properties explains mortgage applicants by race and income

   https://doi.org/10.1177/23998083241287956  

   Nilsson, Isabelle; Delmelle, Elizabeth C (October 2024, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science)

   In this article, we study how the marketing of single-family homes explains the racial and income makeup of mortgage applicants in a neighborhood. We use a case study of the robust housing market of Charlotte, North Carolina, and annual, longitudinal real estate listing advertisements alongside mortgage lending data, to demonstrate how the share of properties advertised a certain way in a neighborhood in 1 year explains shares of mortgage applicants by race and income the following year. We classify property advertisement text using a semi-supervised learning algorithm into five categories following a housing investment and disinvestment to renewal continuum. We find stark racial disparities in mortgage applicants by housing type, even after controlling for income. We find that Black applicants nearly exclusively apply for mortgages in neighborhoods with a high share of properties advertised as disinvested with little profit-making promise. High-income White applicants rise as the share of advertised properties becomes more homogenous. 

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