Posted on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 @ 11:06 AM
Boston friendly? Depends on who you ask.
Boston isn’t known as the friendliest place, but perceptions of just how hospitable it is vary greatly by race.
Thirty eight percent of African-Americans say the city is welcoming to minorities, while 47 percent of Hispanics feel the same way, according to a survey by the Commonwealth Compact, a University of Massachusetts Boston project formed to promote diversity.
By comparison, 63 percent of whites said the city embraces people of color.
The survey by Boston research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey, polled 1,500 people of various races across the country on their attitudes about 10 major cities. New York scored the highest on the welcoming scale among all races, while Minneapolis was last. Boston ranked seventh.
Robert Turner, codirector of the Commonwealth Compact, said some of the negative perceptions about Boston come from the fact that the city is largely segregated. Historic events, such as the busing crisis in the 1970s, also linger in people’s minds, he said. And, Turner said, you can’t overlook the “cold-shoulder factor.’’
“How welcoming do they think Boston is to anybody?’’ he said.
Segan Odedele , an 18-year-old black man who moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University in 2009, said he has noticed some standoffishness, but overall he feels welcomed: “Sometimes people look away, but maybe they’re just shy and having a bad day or something.’’
Katie Johnston Chase can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com.
Posted on Wed, Jan 26, 2011 @ 11:30 AM
Originally published in Boston Business Journal by Mary Moore.
Boston fares worse than nine other cities when it comes to perceptions about how welcoming each city is to minorities, according to the results of a study commissioned by the Commonwealth Compact.
The results of the study will be unveiled Wednesday during a dialogue about race at The Boston Foundation, the first in a series of forums offered by The Boston Foundation, Commonwealth Compact, the Museum of Science and the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth Compact study shows that 62 percent of African Americans consider Boston fair or poor in terms of being welcoming, while 52 percent of Hispanic and Latino respondents feel the same.
When asked if they had visited or lived in Boston, 30 percent of African American respondents and 28 percent of Hispanic and Latinos said they have never been to the city.
The results were part of a study conducted by Chadwick Martin Bailey and included 1,500 respondents, the data collected online. Boston was compared to: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.