Mandatory Civil Service and Its Impact on Social Cohesion

Siddartha Aradhya , Stockholm University Demography Unit
Maria Brandén, Linköping University
Sarah Valdez, Linköping University

Bringing members of different social groups into contact (intergroup contact) has been theorized to be an important mechanism toward increasing social cohesion and improving intergroup relations. This study examines the role of intergroup contact on intergroup relations by analyzing a unique social context in Sweden—mandatory military service. During military service, men were exposed to peers that they likely would not have met otherwise, and engaged in training that required a high degree of team work. We test whether this impacts social cohesion by examining how exposure to individuals with different immigrant backgrounds is associated with the likelihood to partner with someone with immigrant background. All analyses build on Swedish population registers. Our findings suggest that exposure to individuals with a background in other countries in military service is associated with a higher likelihood to partner with someone from such groups, supporting the hypothesis that the exposure to mixed environments in the military service can increase social cohesion.

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 Presented in Session 91. Marriage and Unions of Migrant Populations