There Goes the Neighborhood: Gentrification, Political Attitudes, and Political Behavior in Black Neighborhoods (w/ Christine Slaughter)

How do historically Black suburban neighborhoods react to business development, gentrification, and neighborhood demographic change? In this paper, we examine how US suburban residents participate in politics given the prospect of neighborhood development. Then, we specifically focus on how African Americans in Inglewood, California politically mobilized against Sofi Stadium (2016-2020) due to the threat of neighborhood gentrification. We suspect that changing demographics in predominantly Black neighborhoods constitute a threat, to which community members respond through changes in their political behavior.  We take several approaches to understanding the link between context and participation. Methodologically, we use the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Study, where over 1,700 African Americans reside within a Census tract where the Black population declined between 2010 and 2020. Among these respondents, we examine, first, in what ways the race and ethnicity of the incoming population impact the perception of neighborhood trust. Second, how do political attitudes correspond with such neighborhood change? Lastly, how do community members politically activate, conditional on the individual response to neighborhood change? Gentrification has varied attitudinal and behavioral consequences for African Americans living across various contexts. Our results are important as historic Black communities remain under-resourced, yet have different priorities in responding to neighborhood threats and change.