Quantifying social segregation in large-scale networks

We present a measure of social segregation which combines mobile phone data and income register data in Oslo, Norway. In addition to measuring the extent of social segregation, our study shows that social segregation is strong, robust, and that social networks are particularly clustered among the richest. Using location data on the areas where people work, we also examine whether exposure to other social strata weakens measured segregation. Lastly, we extend our analysis to a large South Asian city and show that our main results hold across two widely different societies.

Automated summary

In this study, we propose a measure of social segregation using mobile phone and income register data in Oslo, Norway. We find that social segregation is prevalent and robust, with social networks being particularly concentrated among the richest individuals. We also examine the impact of exposure to other social strata on measured segregation using location data on individuals' work areas. Furthermore, we extend our analysis to a large South Asian city and demonstrate the generalizability of our main findings across diverse societies.