Agrarian Origins of Individualism and Collectivism

Abstract This study examines the influence of agricultural labour intensity on individualism across U.S. counties. We measure historical labour intensity in agriculture by combining data on crop-specific labour requirements with county-level crop mix around 1900. Potential endogeneity in agricultural labour intensity is addressed using climate-induced variation in crop mix. The estimates indicate that a one standard deviation increase in labour intensity is associated with a reduction of 0.2-0.3 standard deviations in individualism (as captured by the share of children with infrequent names). We also document significant changes in individualism over time, in relation to within-county shifts in labour intensity due to mechanisation and the boll weevil shock. Further evidence from contemporary online search queries and social media language suggests that historical labour intensity continues to influence geographic variation in individualism today. Lastly, our decomposition of labour intensity provides insights into the mechanisms underlying this cultural impact.