THE SPATIAL RESPONSE OF NEGROES AND WHITES TOWARD OPEN HOUSING: THE FLINT REFERDENDUM.

The white and Negro response to the 1968 open housing referendum in Flint, Michigan, is used to investigate spatial variations in attitudes. Simple and stepwise multiple regression models were utilized that incorporated measures of income, education, housing, and distance. Separate analyses were made for the white and Negro voting behavior. For the white population it was hypothesized that a positive vote would be associated with high median incomes, high median education levels, high median housing values, and increased distances from the edge of the nearest Negro ghetto and nearest Negro precinct. This hypothesis was rejected. For the Negro precincts it was postulated that the variations in income, education, and housing value would not account for differences in the vote owing to the crucial nature of this issue. This was accepted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]