Abstract
This article examines crowding in San Francisco's Chinatown and the attitudes and perceptions of its residents, using self-reported interview survey data. The objectives of the study were to test the validity of conjectures prevalent in the literature about the Chinese and crowding, to test Wirth's theory that crowding is related to psychological stress and social conflict, and to provide a fuller understanding of the nature of crowding and of density. Findings were contrary to the beliefs held about Chinese attitudes toward crowding; Chinatown residents evaluated crowding as undesirable and harmful. Personal effects of crowding included environmental health problems, social conflict, and psychological stress. Simultaneously, for a disadvantaged population, Wirth's theory was supported. Also, cultural background and environmental referent significantly predicted perceived crowding at the neighborhood level but did not affect perceptions of crowding at the dwelling level. Perceptions of dwelling crowding were instead heavily influenced by objective indices, that is, number of persons and number of rooms. Findings suggested that extended exposure to crowding breeds greater dislike for crowding at the micro level and that crowding in a primary environment is deemed more undesirable than crowding in a secondary environment.
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