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Peer Influence on West Point Cadets’ CivilWar Allegiances

Author

Listed:
  • Yuchen Guo
  • Matthew O. Jackson
  • Ruixue Jia

Abstract

Do social networks and peer influence shape major life decisions in highly polarized settings? We explore this question by examining how peers influenced the allegiances of West Point cadets during the American Civil War. Leveraging quasi-random variations in the proportion of cadets from Free States, we analyze how cadets’ decisions about which army to join depended on the composition of their peers. We have three main findings. First, there was a strong and significant peer effect: a higher proportion of classmates from Free States significantly increased the likelihood that cadets from Slave States joined the Union Army. Second, the peer effect varies with geography, most notably with the slave population share in cadets’ home states or counties, and with cadets’ own slave ownership in 1860. Third, peer effects were amplified by shared experiences such as having served together in the Mexican-American War, continuous military service, and belonging to the same cohort, suggesting that sustained interaction is important.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuchen Guo & Matthew O. Jackson & Ruixue Jia, 2024. "Peer Influence on West Point Cadets’ CivilWar Allegiances," NBER Working Papers 33093, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33093
    Note: DAE PE POL
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthew O. Jackson & Qiaozhu Me & Stephanie W. Wang & Yutong Xie & Walter Yuan & Seth Benzell & Erik Brynjolfsson & Colin F. Camerer & James Evans & Brian Jabarian & Jon Kleinberg & Juanjuan Meng & Se, 2025. "AI Behavioral Science," Papers 2509.13323, arXiv.org.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • N41 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913

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