RELIGIOUS HOMOPHILY IN A SECULAR COUNTRY: EVIDENCE FROM A VOTING GAME IN FRANCE

C-Tier
Journal: Economic Inquiry
Year: 2015
Volume: 53
Issue: 2
Pages: 1187-1206

Authors (3)

Claire L. Adida (not in RePEc) David D. Laitin (not in RePEc) Marie-Anne Valfort (Paris School of Economics)

Score contribution per author:

0.335 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="ecin12192-abs-0001"><p xml:id="ecin12192-para-0001"><fi>Homophily—the tendency individuals have to associate with similar-others—is a powerful determinant of social networks. Yet research to date does not allow us to determine which dimension, e.g., ethnic, religious, gender, age, or class similarity, drives association. Tests demonstrating homophily are flawed by restricting the range of dimensions in the choice set. We introduce an experimental game in which we exogenously expose subjects to diverse partners to determine which dimension dominates. We find that in a socio-demographically diverse district of Paris, despite expectations of secularization, religious similarity significantly predicts homophily. Moreover, we provide tentative evidence that religious homophily is taste-based</fi>. (<fi>JEL</fi> C91, D03, D72, J71, Z12)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:ecinqu:v:53:y:2015:i:2:p:1187-1206
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29