Same Neighbourhood … Different Views? A Confrontation of Internal and External Neighbourhood Reputations

Abstract

Residents and non-residents are likely to think differently about a neighbourhood's reputation. Relatively little is known about the similarities and differences between these internal and external types of neighbourhood reputation or the relationship between reputations and ‘real’ or ‘objective’ neighbourhood characteristics. This paper addresses two points: first, the extent to which neighbourhood reputations differ between and within groups; second, the extent to which these neighbourhood reputations are associated with measured neighbourhood characteristics. Data from a specially designed survey carried out in 24 neighbourhoods in Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, are used. Analysis of the data showed that neighbourhood reputations are rated higher by residents and estate agents than by other city residents. Within the group of other city residents, differences were found in how neighbourhood reputations are rated by socio-economic status, ethnicity and educational background. Further, it was found that neighbourhood reputations are correlated with measured social characteristics of the neighbourhood, while physical and functional neighbourhood characteristics are of less importance.

Keywords:

• Neighbourhood reputations
• residents
• non-residents
• neighbourhood characteristics
• The Netherlands

Notes

¹ In addition to the internal and external reputation, it is also possible to discern the perceived neighbourhood reputation. This is the view that individuals hold as to how the reputation of their own neighbourhood is viewed by other city residents (see Skifter Andersen, 2008).

² In the survey respondents were also asked how they thought that outsiders rated the reputation of respondent's neighbourhood (perceived reputation). Because internal reputation and perceived reputation are strongly correlated (r = 0.74), the latter variable has not been used in the analyses.

³ The models fulfil the normality requirements.

⁴ Neighbourhoods with a percentage of non-Western immigrants lower than 12 per cent are considered ‘white’ neighbourhoods; neighbourhoods with between 12–24% are considered mixed and neighbourhoods with above 24% are considered ‘ethnically concentrated’ neighbourhoods.