A survey of public attitudes in the eight-county Cincinnati region reveals that worries about crime and safety have replaced race issues. These concerns cut across all racial and ethnic lines, the report also shows.

The survey, conducted by BRIDGES For A Just Community, a local human relations organization, also indicates that despite growing diversity in the region, separation by race and ethnicity is still widely prevalent. Interaction among people of varying backgrounds is most often linked to the workplace and educational or professional status.

More than 1,600 respondents were surveyed by phone last fall by the University of Cincinnati’s Institute for Policy Research.

In the previous survey, conducted in 2003, more than one in five respondents mentioned racial issues as their top concern, but in the most recent survey, only 5% cited race as a top concern. Crime and safety and the state of the economy were far more pressing concerns, the BRIDGES report notes.

The full report is available on the Bridges website .