The meanings and definition of “diversity” can change across different applications and contexts, but many such meanings have implications for racial difference and racial ideology in the United States. We provide a nationally representative analysis of how everyday Americans assess “diversity” in their own communities. We test how county-level racial, religious, economic, and political heterogeneity predict the view that one lives in a highly diverse locale; we also test how individual-level factors predict such a view. Among the four indicators of local difference, racial difference is most strongly and consistently associated with Americans’ assessments of local diversity. Individual-level factors do not weaken this relationship; rather, local context and individual-level factors conjointly predict assessments of local diversity. Despite the flexible, hyperinclusive nature of diversity discourse, local racial difference is salient in Americans’ assessments of “diversity” in their communities, and this pattern is not simply a product of individual-level factors. Our findings illustrate another dimension of the flexible-yet-racialized nature of diversity discourse in the United States. We also show that Americans are particularly aware of racial difference in their locale, which has implications for social and ideological responses to changing communities and a changing nation.

“多样性”的含义和定义可以在不同的应用和上下文中改变，但许多这样的含义对美国的种族差异和种族意识形态有影响。我们对日常美国人如何评估他们自己社区的“多样性”进行了具有全国代表性的分析。我们测试了县级种族、宗教、经济和政治异质性如何预测一个人生活在高度多样化的地区的观点；我们还测试了个人层面的因素如何预测这种观点。在地方差异的四个指标中，种族差异与美国人对地方多样性的评估最为密切相关。个人层面的因素不会削弱这种关系；相反，当地环境和个人层面的因素共同预测了当地多样性的评估。尽管多样性话语具有灵活、超包容的性质，但在美国人对其社区“多样性”的评估中，地方种族差异很突出，而且这种模式不仅仅是个人层面因素的产物。我们的研究结果说明了美国多样性话语灵活但种族化的本质的另一个维度。我们还表明，美国人特别意识到他们所在地区的种族差异，这对社会和意识形态对不断变化的社区和不断变化的国家的反应有影响。我们的研究结果说明了美国多样性话语灵活但种族化的本质的另一个维度。我们还表明，美国人特别意识到他们所在地区的种族差异，这对社会和意识形态对不断变化的社区和不断变化的国家的反应有影响。我们的研究结果说明了美国多样性话语灵活但种族化的本质的另一个维度。我们还表明，美国人特别意识到他们所在地区的种族差异，这对社会和意识形态对不断变化的社区和不断变化的国家的反应有影响。