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School friendship networks, homophily and multiculturalism: evidence from European countries

Author

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  • Nicola Campigotto

    (University of Verona)

  • Chiara Rapallini

    (University of Florence
    GLO Network)

  • Aldo Rustichini

    (University of Minnesota)

Abstract

This paper investigates the determinants of school friendship networks among adolescents, proposing a model of network formation and estimating it using a sample of about 10,000 secondary school students in four countries: England, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. We test the idea that networks arise according to homophily along many characteristics (gender, school achievement and ethnic and cultural backgrounds), and assess the relative importance of each factor. In addition to gender, we find that country of origin, generational status and religion predict friendship for foreign-born students. For individuals born in the survey country, ties depend on a broader set of factors, including socioeconomic status and school achievement. In sum, homophilic preferences go considerably beyond ethnicity. Multiculturalism, which gives prominence to ethnic backgrounds, risks emphasising the differences in that dimension at the expense of affinity in others.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Campigotto & Chiara Rapallini & Aldo Rustichini, 2022. "School friendship networks, homophily and multiculturalism: evidence from European countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(4), pages 1687-1722, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:35:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-020-00819-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-020-00819-w
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    Cited by:

    1. Campigotto, Nicola & Rapallini, Chiara & Rustichini, Aldo, 2021. "The Slippery Slope from Pluralistic to Plural Societies," GLO Discussion Paper Series 910, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Tomáš Lintner & Tomáš Diviák & Klára Šeďová & Petr Hlado, 2023. "Ukrainian refugees struggling to integrate into Czech school social networks," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Friendship; Homophily; Immigration; Networks; Social cohesion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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