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Study Finds Diversity, Technology Go Hand-in-Hand
The leading indicator of a metropolitan area's high technology success is a large gay population, according to Technology and Tolerance: The Importance of Diversity to High-Technology Growth, a new study published by the Brookings Institution's Center on Urban & Metropolitan Policy. The study's authors are Richard Florida of Carnegie Mellon University and Gary Gates of the Urban Institute.
Nine of the top ten cities as ranked by a Gay Index developed by Florida and Gates were in the top 15 “Tech-Pole” Rankings conceived by Ross DeVol of the Milken Institute (see America's High Tech Economy). Florida and Gates conclude “[g]ays can be though of as canaries of the knowledge economy because they signal a diverse and progressive environment that fosters the creativity and innovation necessary for success in high-tech industries.”
Using four indices, 1990 census data, and the Milken Institute’s measures of high-tech concentration, the new analysis revealed other indications of diversity, such as a high concentration of artists or foreign-born residents, are additional significant indicators of successful technology centers. The overall social, cultural and ethnic diversity of a metropolitan area correlated well with its recognition as technology center.
“People in technology businesses are drawn to places known for diversity of thought and open-mindedness,” the report concludes.
Using a Talent Index, Florida and Gates also looked at the percentage of a metropolitan area’s population with at least a college degree and the area’s position in the Milken Tech-Pole rankings. They found, “not surprisingly," a strong correlation. The authors estimate that for every one percent increase in the percentage of college graduates in a metro area, the area’s Tech-Pole ranking would increase by nearly two places.
The full Technology and Tolerance: The Importance of Diversity to High-Technology Growth is available for download at http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/techtol.pdf