Estimating experienced racial segregation in US cities using large-scale GPS data

We estimate a measure of segregation, experienced isolation, that captures individuals' exposure to diverse others in the places they visit over the course of their days. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected from smartphones, we measure experienced isolation by race. We find that the isolation individuals experience is substantially lower than standard residential isolation measures would suggest but that experienced isolation and residential isolation are highly correlated across cities. Experienced isolation is lower relative to residential isolation in denser, wealthier, more educated cities with high levels of public transit use and is also negatively correlated with income mobility.

Automated summary

The study estimates a measure of segregation called experienced isolation, which captures individuals' exposure to diverse others in the places they visit over the course of their days. Using GPS data collected from smartphones, the study finds that experienced isolation is substantially lower than standard residential isolation measures suggest, but that experienced isolation is highly correlated with residential isolation across cities. Experienced isolation is lower relative to residential isolation in denser, wealthier, more educated cities with high levels of public transit use, and is negatively correlated with income mobility.