The Effect of High School Social Capital on College Graduation and Civic Engagement in Adulthood

Abstract

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I estimate the effects of social capital in high school on the attainment of higher education and two measures of civic engagement in adulthood, voting and performing community service. I establish three categories of social capital based on similar measures found in the literature: popularity, school and civic involvement, and trust and belonging. Results suggest that high school students that possess more social capital are more likely to graduate college, vote in a presidential election, and perform community service as an adult. Two specific measures of social capital stand out as particularly significant, that of participating in a high school club and performing community service while in high school. The results indicate that high school educators may want to devote their limited time and resources towards promoting these types of social capital over others.