Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/219128 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 8310
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
We use aggregated data from Facebook to study the structure of social networks across European regions. Social connectedness declines strongly in geographic distance and at country borders. Historical borders and unions — such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Czechoslovakia, and East/West Germany — shape present-day social connectedness over and above today’s political boundaries. All else equal, social connectedness is stronger between regions with residents of similar ages and education levels, as well as between those that share a language and religion. In contrast, region-pairs with dissimilar incomes tend to be more connected, likely due to increased migration from poorer to richer regions. We find more socially connected region-pairs to have more passenger train trips between them, even after controlling for distance and travel time. We also find that regions with a higher share of connections to other countries have higher rates of trust in the E.U. and lower rates of voting for anti-E.U. political parties.
Subjects: 
social connectedness
Europe
homophily
border effects
migration
JEL: 
D72
J61
O52
R23
Z13
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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