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Friendship Networks and Political Opinions

Author

Listed:
  • Algan, Yann

    (HEC Paris)

  • Dalvit, Nicolò

    (World Bank)

  • Do, Quoc-Anh

    (Monash University)

  • Le Chapelain, Alexis

    (Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) - Department of Economics)

  • Zenou, Yves

    (Monash University - Department of Economics; Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IUI); IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); Stockholm University)

Abstract

We examine how social interactions and friendships shape students' political opinions in a natural experiment at Sciences Po, a leading French university specializing in social and political sciences. The quasi-random assignment of students into short-term integration groups before their academic curriculum reduces political opinion gaps and fosters friendship formation. Using same-group membership as an instrumental variable for friendship, we find that friendship reduces opinion differences by 40% of a standard deviation in the opinion gap. Our evidence supports a homophily-enforced mechanism: friendships form among initially politically similar students, leading them to join political associations together, reinforcing their similarity. However, friendship does not significantly influence politically dissimilar pairs. Instead, it reduces opinion divergence without enforcing ideological convergence.

Suggested Citation

  • Algan, Yann & Dalvit, Nicolò & Do, Quoc-Anh & Le Chapelain, Alexis & Zenou, Yves, 2025. "Friendship Networks and Political Opinions," HEC Research Papers Series 1556, HEC Paris.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:heccah:1556
    DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.5184305
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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Bailey & Drew Johnston & Theresa Kuchler & Dominic Russel & Bogdan State & Johannes Stroebel, 2020. "Online Appendix & Additional Results for The Determinants of Social Connectedness in Europe," Papers 2007.12177, arXiv.org.
    2. Polipciuc, Maria & Cörvers, Frank & Montizaan, Raymond, 2023. "Peers’ race in adolescence and voting behavior," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Rigissa Megalokonomou† Michael Vlassopoulos‡ Yves Zenou§, 2025. "Recognizing Talent: Evidence from Exposure to Math Award Winners∗," Monash Economics Working Papers 2026-10, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    4. Rigissa Megalokonomou† Michael Vlassopoulos‡ Yves Zenou§, 2025. "Recognizing Talent: Evidence from Exposure to Math Award Winners∗," Monash Economics Working Papers 2026-20, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    5. Campbell, Arthur & Leister, Matthew & Zenou, Yves, 2019. "Social Media and Polarization," CEPR Discussion Papers 13860, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    6. Michael Bailey & Theresa Kuchler & Dominic Russel & Bogdan State & Johannes Stroebel, 2020. "The Determinants and Effects of Social Connectedness in Europe," CESifo Working Paper Series 8310, CESifo.
    7. Rigissa Megalokonomou† Michael Vlassopoulos‡ Yves Zenou§, 2025. "Recognizing Talent: Evidence from Exposure to Math Award Winners∗," Monash Economics Working Papers 2026-21, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    8. Magontier, Pierre & Solé-Ollé, Albert & Viladecans-Marsal, Elisabet, 2024. "The political economy of coastal development," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    9. Adrian Mehic, 2024. "Peer desirability and academic achievement," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(4), pages 525-542, June.
    10. Bailey, Michael & Kuchler, Theresa & Russel, Dominic & State, Bogdan & Stroebel, Johannes, 2020. "Social Connectedness in Europe," SocArXiv 3wh67, Center for Open Science.
    11. Rigissa Megalokonomou† Michael Vlassopoulos‡ Yves Zenou§, 2025. "Recognizing Talent: Evidence from Exposure to Math Award Winners∗," Monash Economics Working Papers 2026-16, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    12. Rigissa Megalokonomou† Michael Vlassopoulos‡ Yves Zenou§, 2025. "Recognizing Talent: Evidence from Exposure to Math Award Winners∗," Monash Economics Working Papers 2026-10, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    13. Hakobyana, Zaruhi & Koulovatianos, Christos, 2019. "Populism and polarization in social media without fake news: The vicious circle of biases, beliefs and network homophily," CFS Working Paper Series 626, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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