Craig St. John

Social Determinants of Age at First Birth.

A womans 1st birth is 1 of the most significant events in her life. It signifies her taking on the roles and responsibilities of a mother often to the exclusion of further education and career building roles. The earlier these roles and responsibilities are undertaken the less likely are alternatives to be taken and the greater is the expected quantity and pace of subsequent childbearing. Consequently this paper explores the social determinants of the timing of the 1st birth. A model is developed and tested in which a number of social factors are hypothesized to affect age at 1st birth. Age at 1st birth is allowed to have a reciprocal effect on education; thus the model is nonrecursive. Education at marriage is the most important predictor of age at 1st birth and the relationship is positive. Although a few social determinants do have a direct effect on age at 1st birth (such as race religion and smoking at young ages) most determinants affect age at 1st birth through education. (authors modified)

The question of community attachment revisited

In this paper we compare the relative effects of satisfaction with specific community (neighborhood) attributes and social integration into the community on community attachment. Previous research on community attachment has not assessed the importance of satisfaction with specific attributes as a determinant of attachment. Instead, this research has focussed on integration into the social life of a community as the primary source of community attachment. We find that although social integration has the more important effect on attachment, satisfaction with specific community attributes also has a statistically significant effect. People who are satisfied with the general physical appearance, the noise level, and the quality of neighbors in their communities tend to be more attached to them than those who are less satisfied. We address the theoretical and policy implications of this finding. In short, this finding implies, contrary to previous thought, that it is possible for there to be higher levels of ...

Did fertility go up after the oklahoma city bombing? An analysis of births in metropolitan counties in Oklahoma, 1990–1999

Political and sociocultural events (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and the German reunification in 1989) and natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Hugo in 1989) can affect fertility. In our research, we addressed the question of whether the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995, a man-made disaster, influenced fertility patterns in Oklahoma. We defined three theoretical orientations—replacement theory, community influence theory, and terror management theory—that motivate a general expectation of birth increases, with different predictions emerging from time and geographic considerations. We used two different empirical methodologies. First, we fitted dummy-variable regression models to monthly birth data from 1990 to 1999 in metropolitan counties. We used birth counts to frame the problem and general fertility rates to address the problem formally. These analyses were organized within two design structures: a control-group interrupted time-series design and a difference-in-differences design. In these analyses, Oklahoma County showed an interpretable, consistent, and significant increase in births. Second, we used graphical smoothing models to display these effects visually. In combination, these methods provide compelling support for a fertility response to the Oklahoma City bombing. Certain parts of each theory helped us organize and understand the pattern of results.

Racial composition and neighborhood evaluation

Data on residential segregation imply whites are averse to living in integrated neighborhoods even though survey data show prejudiced attitudes toward blacks are decreasing. This aversion could be due to whites associating crime and deterioration with black neighborhoods instead of being a reaction to racial composition or it could be due to the persistence of race as a master status in the United States with black neighborhoods perceived as having low status regardless of accompanying characteristics. The factorial survey method was used to create vignette neighborhoods in which racial composition, crime, deterioration, and other neighborhood characteristics are unrelated. A random sample of adults in a southwestern metropolitan area was asked to evaluate these vignettes. Controlling for neighborhood characteristics, racial composition was found to have a significant effect on neighborhood evaluaton, supporting the race as master status explanation.

Racial Differences in Neighborhood Evaluation Standards

It is implicit in the literature on neighborhood satisfaction that individuals or groups of people have different standards for evaluating the quality of their neighborhoods—different standards being the result of differences in past experiences or adaptations to present circumstances. However, to date, there has been no research that has tested for individual or group differences in evaluation standards. In this research the hypothesis that blacks and whites have different standards for evaluating the environmental quality of their neighborhoods was tested. I argue that this difference is a result of blacks having much more restricted access to the housing market than whites. The data support this hypothesis.

The Concentration of Affluence in the United States, 1990.

The author examines the concentration of affluent households in affluent neighborhoods in U.S. metropolitan areas in 1990. The rate of concentrated affluence, the percentage of affluent households living in affluent neighborhoods, is considered for the total population and separately for blacks and whites. Also, differences in the rate of concentrated affluence between blacks and whites are explored. Models of concentrated affluence that incorporate variables suggested by the literature on economic restructuring in the late twentieth century and by the literature on racial differences in the residential return to individual resources are developed and tested. In general, variables measuring industry/occupation employment mix influence the rate of concentrated affluence mainly through the levels of income they generate. Racial differences in the rate of concentrated affluence are influenced more by income differences between blacks and whites than by residential segregation.The author examines the concentration of affluent households in affluent neighborhoods in U.S. metropolitan areas in 1990. The rate of concentrated affluence, the percentage of affluent households living in affluent neighborhoods, is considered for the total population and separately for blacks and whites. Also, differences in the rate of concentrated affluence between blacks and whites are explored. Models of concentrated affluence that incorporate variables suggested by the literature on economic restructuring in the late twentieth century and by the literature on racial differences in the residential return to individual resources are developed and tested. In general, variables measuring industry/occupation employment mix influence the rate of concentrated affluence mainly through the levels of income they generate. Racial differences in the rate of concentrated affluence are influenced more by income differences between blacks and whites than by residential segregation.

The Heartland Responds to Terror: Volunteering After the Bombing of the Murrah Federal Building

Objective. We examine volunteering to support the relief effort after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. We address two issues: (1) how widespread was volunteering and what forms did it take, and (2) does Wilson and Musick’s (1997a) “integrated theory of volunteer work” help to explain variation in volunteering in this disaster situation? Methods. We use data from the 1996 Oklahoma City Survey (OKC Survey). The 1996 OKC Survey is based on a random sample of the adult population of Oklahoma City and was administered 10 months after the bombing. Results. Nearly 75 percent of the sample respondents volunteered to support the relief effort in at least one way; giving money and donating nonprofessional goods or services were the two most prevalent volunteer activities. Socioeconomic status, knowing someone killed or injured in the bombing, belonging to voluntary organizations before the bombing, and being affiliated with a religious denomination were predictors of volunteering, depending on the type of volunteer activity considered. Conclusions. The magnitude of volunteering after the Murrah Building bombing was in line with volunteer efforts after other disasters. The integrated theory of volunteer work is a useful framework for studying volunteering after disasters.

Racial differences in dimensions of neighborhood satisfaction

In our research we seek to determine whether black/white differences in neighborhood satisfaction, as reported in the literature, result from racial differences in satisfaction with specific dimensions of neighborhood characteristics. We find that there are racial differences in satisfaction with two dimensions of neighborhood characteristics but not in a third. These racial differences do not, however, translate into a racial difference in overall neighborhood satisfaction because the two dimensions of satisfaction related to race have no effect on overall neighborhood satisfaction while the dimension which is unrelated to race has a strong effect on it. The implications of these findings for urban policy and future research are discussed.

Race differences in age at first birth and the pace of subsequent fertility: Implications for the minority group status hypothesis

We examine race differences in the effects of age at first birth on the pace of subsequent fertility. If race differences in the pace of fertility persist net of age at first birth and socioeconomic variables, they will be taken as new support for the minority group status hypothesis. Data from the 1973 National Survey of Family Growth are analyzed with the finding that race differences in the pace of fertility are real, giving support to the hypothesis. Implications are drawn suggesting that the proper points at which to examine group differences in fertility are the different stages in the process which culminates in completed fertility, rather than limiting investigation to the final product.We examine race differences in the effects of age at first birth on the pace of subsequent fertility. If race differences in the pace of fertility persist net of age at first birth and socioeconomic variables, they will be taken as new support for the minority group status hypothesis. Data from the 1973 National Survey of Family Growth are analyzed with the finding that race differences in the pace of fertility are real, giving support to the hypothesis. Implications are drawn suggesting that the proper points at which to examine group differences in fertility are the different stages in the process which culminates in completed fertility, rather than limiting investigation to the final product.

Racial Differences in Intraurban Residential Mobility

The literature shows that African-Americans live in lower-quality residential environments than their socioeconomic status would predict. Researchers suggest that African-Americans move within cities less often than whites and/or improve their residential environments less when moving. Alternatively, African-Americans might move as frequently as whites and improve their residential environments as much when they move, but they operate from an initial lower level of quality. The authors examine these possibilities in this article. Their data indicate that African-Americans have a lower rate of intraurban residential mobility and improve their residential environments less when they move.