I study how people respond to their cultural and physical environments in ways that reinforce racial and class-based inequities. I'm interested in how people perceive growing diversity and inequality in their neighborhoods, how people make sense of their own role in systems of privilege and oppression, and what this means for real-world disparities. I use multiple methods (e.g., experiments, field surveys, qualitative coding) and draw on interdisciplinary perspectives (e.g., psychology, sociology, urban planning, political science) to answer questions such as:
Why does residential segregation persist? Why do attempts at residential integration often go awry?
How do people and organizations define racism? How does changing these definitions motivate collective action?
Song & Levine (in press) Gentrification creates social class disparities in belonging. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. [link]
Levine, Bourne, Song, & Weltzien (2023). Creating inclusive schools to reduce health and well-being disparities. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(1), e12841. [link]