And the Most Racist Place in America Is ... Closer Than You Think

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Michigan is more diverse than many U.S. states – 14.3 percent are black or African American, according to 2013 Census estimates – but part of the state is also considered one of the most racist places in America.

A new analysis of Google search data reveals the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula, along with the rural Northeast and South, are hotbeds of racism, The Washington Post reports, citing a study published in PLOS ONE.

The analysis also revealed higher-than-average racial Internet searches in Michigan’s Thumb area and parts of southeast Michigan, but searches were less than average or much less than average in the rest of the state.

Racism isn’t an easy thing to measure.

Data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz said simply asking people if they’re racist reveals false results because they tend to self-censor themselves. If asked if they’re racist, most people will simply say no, he said.

But their Google searches tell a different story, said Stephens-Davidowitz, who previously analyzed Internet searches for a paper measuring the effect of racist attitudes on Barack Obama’s electoral prospects.

Stephens-Davidowitz and his research team looked at searches containing the N-word, which they found occurred about as often as searches for non-racist terms like “migraine(s),” “economist,” “sweater,” “Daily Show” and “Lakers.”

“Google data, evidence suggests, are unlikely to suffer from major social censoring,” he wrote in a previous paper. “Google searchers are online and likely alone, both of which make it easier to express socially taboo thoughts. Individuals, indeed, note that they are unusually forthcoming with Google.”

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So if a racist is sitting at home alone on the computer looking at racist sites and Goggling racist terms, who does that hurt?

The researchers said higher concentrations of racist online activity correlated to higher mortality rates for blacks in those areas, even after adjusting the numbers for a variety of socio-economic variables, The Washington Post said.

Discrimination negatively affects the health of blacks because it enforces patterns of residential segregation in some of an area’s worst neighborhoods, the study authors concluded.

“Racial discrimination in employment can also lead to lower income and greater financial strain, which in turn have been linked to worse mental and physical health outcomes,” the study authors said.

Other hotbeds for racial online activity included states along the spine of the Appalachians, areas of the Gulf Coast and a large part of Ohio. But the farther west out go on the map, the more racist Google searches drop off. No region west of Texas showed higher-than-average searches for racist terms.

The map showing where racial Internet searches occurs generally follows Humboldt State University’s map of racist Tweets.

TELL US:

• Experiences of racial bias have underpinned recent protests across the country, from Ferguson, MO, to Baltimore, MD. President Obama said this week that it’s up to Americans to bridge the divide. What can you personally do to change the culture?

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