HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
HKS Working Paper No. RWP12-034
August 2012
Abstract
This paper examines whether social interactions and cultural practices affect political views
and behavior in society. We investigate the issue by documenting a major social and cultural
event at different stages in life: the Fourth of July celebrations in the United States during the
20th century. Using absence of rainfall as a proxy for participation in the event, we find that
days without rain on Fourth of July in childhood shift adult views and voting in favor of the
Republicans and increase turnout in presidential elections. The effects we estimate are highly
persistent throughout life and originate in early age. Rain-free Fourth of Julys experienced as
an adult also make it more likely that people identify as Republicans, but the effect depreciates
substantially after a few years. Taken together, the evidence suggests that political views and
behavior derive from social and cultural experience in early childhood, and that Fourth of July
shapes the political landscape in the Unites States.
Citation
Madestam, Andreas, and David Yanagizawa-Drott. "Shaping the Nation: The Effect of Fourth of July on Political Preferences and Behavior in the United States." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-034, August 2012.