New Faces in a New Place: Long-Time Residents’ Perceptions of New Residents in an Oil Boomtown in the Bakken Oil Shale Region

ABSTRACT

In 2008, increased oil production in the Bakken oil shale region in western North Dakota sparked a rapid increase in population for the communities in that area. This study examines long-time residents’ perceptions of new residents moving into their community using quantitative methods. The findings reveal that long-time residents who reported an increase in fear of crime because of the oil boom in western North Dakota were less likely to have positive perceptions of new residents. In addition, long-time residents who viewed their community as a friendly place and its residents as trustworthy, and who attempted to interact with new residents, were more likely to report positive perceptions of new residents.

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Notes on contributors

Carol Huynh

CAROL HUYNH is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. Her research interests include community perceptions of the police, as well as gender, race, and prejudice in the criminal justice system.

Chloe Robinson

CHLOE ROBINSON is a doctoral student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. Her research interests include race and gender in the criminal justice system, police misconduct, and police accountability.

Thomas Mrozla

THOMAS MROZLA will begin a tenure-track, assistant professor position in the Department of Political Science at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota, in fall 2018. His research interests include race and gender in the criminal justice system, and police accountability.

Thorvald O. Dahle

THORVALD O. DAHLE is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice at Minnesota State University—Mankato since the fall 2016. His research interests include policing and issues regarding ethics, race, gender, and effectiveness.

Carol A. Archbold

CAROL A. ARCHBOLD is a Walter F. and Verna Gehrts endowed professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. Her research interests include police accountability, police misconduct, police liability, women in policing, and race and gender in the criminal justice system.

Alexandra Marcel

ALEXANDRA MARCEL is a master’s student in the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND.