Attending a Fourth of July fireworks display or flag waving parade as a child slightly increases the likelihood that that kid will grow up to vote Republican, according to a study a team of Harvard University researchers.
Even a single July 4 celebration boosts the chance of turning a kid into a Republican, the study claims.
"One Fourth of July without rain before age 18 increases the likelihood of identifying as a Republican at age 40 by 2 percent, the share of people voting for the Republican candidate at age 40 by 4 percent, and the share of people turning out to vote at age 40 by 0.9 percent," the study concludes.
The findings leave some questions unanswered, a contention that David Yanagizawa-Drott, the assistant professor of public policy of Harvard University's Kennedy School who co-wrote the study with Andreas Madestam of Bocconi University, seems to acknowledge.
Getty Images According to a new Harvard University study,... View Full Size Getty Images According to a new Harvard University study, children who participate in Fourth of July festivities are more likely to grow up and vote Republican.
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One thing not addressed in the report is that nearly every kid in America attends Fourth of July celebrations, but the Republican Party is a minority party.
Does Fourth of July Celebrations Turn Kids Into Republicans?
Calls to Democratic officials were not returned because they had left their offices early to celebrate the Fourth of July.
The researchers are sticking by their conclusions.
Yanagizawa-Drott told ABCNews.com that they cannot be sure why the trend exists, but said "the celebration of Fourth of July embodies certain ideas or values that are closer to the Republican Party. This in turn affects how children experience the event."
"While our study enables us to identify the existence of these effects, it is much more difficult to disentangle which interpretation is more plausible," Yanagizawa-Drott said in an email to ABCNews.com. "There could, of course, be other explanations that are consistent with our findings. This is something that warrants further research."
He said they conducted the study because, "We were interested in understanding whether important social events during childhood could form one's identity and political views later in life. Given the popularity and historical importance of Fourth of July celebrations, we thought this was a highly interesting event to study."
A child holding the American flag.
A study conducted by  researchers has concluded that children who attend an  celebration are more likely to become  as adults. 

Even attending a single fireworks display or flag-waving parade, specifically celebrations without rain, can be predictive of a child's future political leanings and voting habits. "One Fourth of July without rain before age 18 increases the likelihood of identifying as a Republican at age 40 by 2 percent, the share of people voting for the Republican candidate at age 40 by 4 percent, and the share of people turning out to vote at age 40 by 0.9 percent," the researchers claim. 

Moreover, the data does not suggest that the  base is affected at all by the holiday celebrations. "There is no evidence of an increased likelihood of identifying as a Democrat, indicating that Fourth of July shifts preferences to the right rather than increasing political polarization," the study claims.

David Yanagizawa-Drott, a public policy professor at Harvard and a co-author of the study, suggests that "the celebration of Fourth of July embodies certain ideas or values that are closer to the Republican Party," but adds that further study is needed to explain this trend. Another explanation offered by the study is that celebrations in Republican-dominated areas may tend to be more politically charged. 


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