Gentrification Causes Social Class Disparities in Belonging

Abstract

Gentrification impacts nearly every major metropolitan area in the U.S. One critique of gentrification is that the influx of wealthy newcomers and the associated change to the neighborhood threatens working-class residents’ sense of belonging. Using a novel experimental paradigm, we find that relative to stable, working-class neighborhoods, gentrifying neighborhoods reduced belonging for lower social class individuals and increased belonging for higher social class individuals (Study 1). This social class disparity in belonging is primarily mediated by lower social class individuals perceiving themselves to be less similar to other residents and feeling a reduced sense of fit with institutions in the gentrifying neighborhood (Study 2). We discuss implications for equitable urban policy that go beyond housing security and future directions for a social psychology of gentrification.