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Title: MEDIA ROLE MODELS AND BLACK EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT: EVIDENCE FROM THE COSBY SHOW

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2018

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Abstract: The tendency of young people to imitate older members of their social groups could explain the surprising persistence of black-white education gaps in the U.S. over the past five decades. It is difficult to separate these role modeling effects, however, from other factors influencing educational attainment. This paper assesses the influence of role models on young peoples educational choices by examining the impact of a popular 1980s sitcom: The Cosby Show. The show portrayed an upper middle class black family headed by highly educated parents, who frequently discussed the importance of education with their five children. If role model effects exist, black teenagers should have had a stronger response to this message. To test this hypothesis, I relate educational attainment to city-level Cosby Show ratings during the period in which a respondent was aged 16-20. In order to control for the possible endogeneity of Cosby Show popularity, I use Thursday night NBA games as an instrument for ratings. I show that exposure to The Cosby Show significantly increased college attainment among black men, with smaller effects for black women. I estimate that at least 110,000 young black men and women completed college as a result of the show. There is no similar effect among the white sample. The results do not appear to be driven by reduced discrimination, as Cosby Show ratings are not related to changes in either the black-white wage differential or in the return to college for blacks. JEL

Url: https://www.kirstencornelson.com/uploads/5/2/3/7/52377999/cosby.pdf

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Authors: Cornelson, Kirsten

Publisher: University of Notre Dame

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Race and Ethnicity

Countries: United States