Amy Spring
Assistant Professor, Sociology
Georgia State University
CSDE Research Areas:
- Demographic Measurements and Methods
- Health of People and Populations
- Migration and Settlement
- Wellbeing of Families and Households
Dr. Spring is a demographer and urban sociologist whose research centers on neighborhood context, residential mobility, and spatial inequality. She joined the Sociology Department in 2015 after completing her Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a research fellowship at UW’s Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology. Her current work investigates how social networks, residential histories, and contextual circumstances influence residential decisions, including not only whether to move, but also where, how far, and to what type of neighborhood. She is particularly interested in how these residential selection mechanisms produce and reinforce broader patterns of spatial inequality, including residential segregation and economic disparities, and contribute to “neighborhood effects” on health and well-being. Her findings show that family networks are very influential in determining who moves (Demography) and explaining racial/ethnic disparities in residential mobility (Social Science Research). Moreover, processes of residential selection contribute to neighborhood effects on health (The Gerontologist) and neighborhood attainment over the life course (American Sociological Review). Her findings also reveal differences in mobility processes among sub-groups, including mixed-race couples (Demography) and same-sex partners (Population Research and Policy Review), highlighting how residential experiences intersect with social statuses and identities. Dr. Spring is currently a faculty affiliate in the Urban Studies Institute and the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University. She also serves on the external review board for the Atlanta Research Data Center and on the editorial boards of City & Community and Social Science Research. Dr. Spring’s teaching interests include urban sociology, sociology of neighborhoods, and research methods.