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Desegregating spaces: The interplay between ecological intergroup contact and GPS ‐traced spatial segregation among youth in two UK cities
,
Christoph Daniel Schaefer,
Pier-Luc Dupont Picard ,
David Manley,
Laura K. Taylor,
Shelley McKeown Jones
British Journal of Social Psychology, Volume: 65, Issue: 1, Start page: e70043
Swansea University Author:
Pier-Luc Dupont Picard
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© 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/bjso.70043
Abstract
Recent advances in intergroup contact research have drawn on methods from human geography to investigate how segregation shapes, and is shaped by, everyday intergroup experiences. Emerging findings suggest that the phenomena might be reciprocally intertwined, but empirical evidence is limited and mi...
| Published in: | British Journal of Social Psychology |
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| ISSN: | 0144-6665 2044-8309 |
| Published: |
Wiley
2026
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71222 |
| Abstract: |
Recent advances in intergroup contact research have drawn on methods from human geography to investigate how segregation shapes, and is shaped by, everyday intergroup experiences. Emerging findings suggest that the phenomena might be reciprocally intertwined, but empirical evidence is limited and mixed. This research tested the reciprocal relationship between everyday intergroup contact and segregation using ecological momentary assessment and GPS‐GIS tracking in two segregated UK cities with youths aged 15–17. Study 1 (Belfast; nparticipants = 15; ninteractions = 115; nGPS‐point = 633) focused on Catholics–Protestants divisions, and Study 2 (Bradford; nparticipants = 30; ninteractions = 334; nGPS‐point = 2868) addressed ethnic segregation among Asian, White, and Black communities. In both studies, youths reported on social interactions throughout 6 days, while their urban mobility in outgroup spaces was tracked. In Belfast, more mixed districts predicted higher anxiety during intergroup interactions, yet, positive intergroup contact was followed by increased visits to outgroup spaces. In Bradford, mixed districts increased the likelihood (but not the quality) of intergroup contact, while the link between positive contact and subsequent outgroup space use was replicated. The findings highlight a virtuous cycle depending on contextual norms by which positive contact and desegregation practices might reinforce each other, arguably demonstrating the potential of intergroup contact for levelling urban divisions. |
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| Keywords: |
ecological momentary assessment, everyday intergroup contact, GPS-GIS analysis, socio-spatial segregation |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Funders: |
This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council [grant number ES/T014709/1]. |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
e70043 |