Do Urban Migrants Prefer Coethnic Neigbhorhoods? Evidence from Nigeria

As ethnically diverse countries in sub-Saharan Africa urbanize, people are increasingly migrating to cities, giving rise to new opportunities for interethnic interaction. However, not all cities look the same. While residents of cities like Dakar and Bamako tend to live in ethnically diverse neighborhoods, residents in Lagos and Nairobi appear to be sorting into segregated and ethnically homogenous neighborhoods. One explanation of sorting argues that people prefer to live amongst their ingroup, and therefore they tend to move to homogenous neighborhoods. This theory suggests that some urban migrants are gravitating towards coethnic-majority neighborhoods, reproducing existing patterns of segregation. However, is it true that urban migrants prefer to live amongst coethnics, and do these preferences translate into residential choices? Using an online survey of Nigerians, I explore whether urban migrants have preferences for coethnic-majority neighborhoods, and if those preferences match the demographics of neighborhoods.