Rich Friends, Poor Friends: Inter–Socioeconomic Status Friendships in Secondary School

Abstract

The author examines friendships between students from different socioeconomic groups, investigating the factors that make these relationships more likely and comparing these relationships with those between students from different races, which have been studied more extensively. Consistent with previous research, the results reveal that student homogeneity is positively related to social interaction in schools but that these relationships are not always straightforward with regard to socioeconomic status. Students’ experiences in socioeconomically diverse environments depend on their relative positions within the distribution, even when holding the percentage of same–socioeconomic status peers constant. Although few factors are associated with more diverse friendship preferences—save potentially participation in the arts—factors that increase the overall likelihood of friendship tie formation predict higher numbers of intergroup friends. This general friendship promotion can be seen as an important avenue for both improving students’ academic experience and promoting diversity in social interaction.