Coming Apart? Cultural Distances in the United States over Time

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2023
Volume: 15
Issue: 4
Pages: 100-141

Authors (2)

Marianne Bertrand (University of Chicago) Emir Kamenica (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

We analyze trends in cultural distances between groups in the United States defined by income, education, gender, race, and political ideology. We measure cultural distance as the ability to infer an individual's group based on media diet, consumer behavior, time use, social attitudes, or newborn's name. Gender difference in time-use decreased between 1965 and 1995 and has remained constant since. Differences in social attitudes by political ideology, and somewhat by income, have increased over the last four decades. Whites and non-Whites have diverged in consumer behavior. For all other demographic divisions and cultural dimensions, cultural distance has been broadly constant over time.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:100-141
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24