Finding a Roommate on Craigslist: Racial Discrimination and Residential Segregation in Urban Areas

Raj Ghoshal, Goucher College
S. Michael Gaddis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This project uses experimental methods to investigate covert racial discrimination in “roommate wanted” ads on Craigslist. We use email accounts with names that signal race to respond to ads on Craigslist in a number of urban areas. We find similar response rates for white and Hispanic names but significantly lower response rates for black names. When we examine user provided geographic location data and Census tract race data to map our sample and responses, we find that Census tracts with a high percentage of black residents are less likely to use Craigslist and those with a high percentage of white residents are less likely to respond to requests from individuals with black names. With this project, we aim to uncover new evidence on racial discrimination and residential segregation.