Full Citation

Title: The Anti‐Democrat Diploma: How High School Education Decreases Support for the Democratic Party

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2019

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12409

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: Attending high school can alter students’ life trajectories by affecting labor market prospects and through exposureto ideas and networks. However, schooling’s influence competes with early socialization forces and may be confounded byselection biases. Consequently, little is known about whether or how high school education shapes downstream politicalpreferences and voting behavior. Using a generalized difference-in-differences design leveraging variation in U.S. statedropout laws across cohorts, I find that raising the school dropout age decreases Democratic partisan identification andvoting later in life. Instrumental variables estimates suggest that an additional completed grade of high school decreasesDemocratic support by around 15 percentage points among students induced to remain in school by higher dropout ages.High school’s effects principally operate by increasing income and support for conservative economic policies, especially atan individual’s midlife earnings peak. In contrast, such schooling does not affect conservative attitudes on noneconomicissues or political engagement.

Url: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajps.12409

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Authors: Marshall, John

Periodical (Full): American Journal of Political Science

Issue: 1

Volume: 63

Pages: 67-83

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Education, Other

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