Voluntary segregation processes rarely produce high dissimilarity index values.

Evidence

A convenient rule of thumb for interpreting the dissimilarity index is that values under 30 are “low”; those from 30 to 60 are “moderate”; and those above 60 are “high” (Kantrowitz, 1973). In general, voluntary processes of segregation yield index values in the low-to-moderate range. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2422

Categorization

• DEFINE: Gives the standard thresholds for reading dissimilarity index values.
• XREF: connects to: Mild individual in-group preference generates macro segregation spontaneously — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 383; Voluntary local desegregation produced tokenism and arbitrary exclusion rather than integration. — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 481