Gritty Peers

Effrosyni Adamopoulou, Yaming Cao and Ezgi Kaya

No 17446, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to explore how high school peers' grit, a personality trait characterized by perseverance and passion, influences long-term outcomes. Exploiting random variation within schools across cohorts, we find that peer grit significantly increases future earnings, especially for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We identify two key mechanisms: an increased likelihood of employment in jobs aligned with career goals and a reduced probability of feeling overwhelmed by difficulties. Additionally, peer grit leads to higher job satisfaction and asset accumulation. Thus, peer grit's effects extend beyond short-term educational performance and persist into adulthood.

Keywords: grit; peer effects; long-term outcomes; Add Health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I24 J13 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44 pages
Date: 2024-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea, nep-lma and nep-ure
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Working Paper: Gritty peers (2025)
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