Online Appendix
The Index of Dissimilarity
The Index of Dissimilarity is a widely used indicator to measure residential segregation in a specific area. The index ranges from 0 (no segregation) to 1 (complete segregation).
In the interactive example below, each neighbourhood (A, B, C, D) has 10 residents.
- Orange circle = majority resident
- Dark blue circle = minority resident
Click on the circles to change the configuration of the distribution. See what happens with the index when most/all circles representing a minority resident are concentrated in a single neighbourhood.
It is important to note that, as discussed in Chapter 3, the index is highly sensitive to small populations and small unit sizes as in the case of this example. Therefore, the value of the index will not vary as much after small changes in larger populations as it does in this demo.
Demo
Each circle represents one resident. Orange represents the majority group; navy represents the minority group. Select a circle to switch its group. Use the arrow keys to navigate between residents, and press Enter or Space to toggle the selected resident. A pressed resident belongs to the minority group.
The index is undefined. Both groups must be present.
| Neighbourhood | Minority | Majority |
|---|---|---|
| A | 0 | 10 |
| B | 0 | 10 |
| C | 0 | 10 |
| D | 0 | 10 |