High rates of immigration are a good thing, most economists argue: the mixing of cultures fosters creativity and boosts economic productivity. But a survey in the US shows that greater ethnic diversity may hurt community spirit – in the short term, at least.
This is the conclusion of Harvard University political scientist Robert Putnam after studying data from the . The survey, carried out in 2000, asked more than 30,000 Americans from widely different communities about how much they trusted each other.
Not surprisingly, Putnam found that levels of trust were generally lower between people…
