Keller @ Large: Can 4th Of July Celebrations Affect Kids' Future Political Views?
BOSTON (CBS) - It's shaping up to be a great holiday weekend. So, if you take your kids to a fireworks show, are you influencing how they vote in the future?
A new study says yes, which may set off some early fireworks for some people.
The report published by Harvard's Kennedy School said that sharing the fireworks with your kids may have a big effect on their future political leanings.
Using elaborate data analysis, researchers found that being at even one Fourth of July celebration before age 18 can increase your likelihood of voting Republican later on by as much as four percent.
WBZ's Jon Keller is at large:
Funny, around here we make a bigger deal of the Fourth than just about anywhere else, and yet we're the most staunchly Democratic state in the nation.
So, we decided to do an unscientific study in the capitol of American liberalism, Harvard Square.
"I dont think patriotism has a party. It's not a red or a blue, its a red, white and blue," said one woman.
"I have been attending 4th of July celebrations since I've been in Boston for 35 years, and I remain a Democrat and my kids are the same way," said another woman.
As one guy told WBZ-TV, even a Communist can share equally in the spirit of a July 4th celebration.
What do you think of the study?
