index of segregation

A measurement of the degree of residential segregation between two sub-groups inside a larger population. For example, we might want to see if Jamaicans are more residentially segregated than Barbadians within a British city. One simple method uses the Lorenz curve, with the cumulative percentage of each ethnic group from each sub-area of the city on one axis, and the cumulative percentage of the remaining groups for each sub-area on the other. If the line is diagonal, there is no segregation, and the percentages within each sub-area are the same as the percentages over the city as a whole. Alternatively, a location quotient may be used, which compares the percentage of an ethnic group living within the sub-area with the percentage living within the city as a whole.