One thing I wonder is whether support for tolerance is driven by a fear of being censored yourself. In that case, people who perceive themselves as being censored would be more likely to proclaim tolerance. So the very religious students might fear that their views get censored (especially if the very religious seek to convert others), and thus they self-report tolerance. Likewise, male students might think they are more likely to be censored and therefore support tolerance more than women.
And there's also an important question (very difficult to study) about whether professed tolerance translates to actual tolerance, where people who say they are tolerant with regard to college campus issues might not be tolerant in reality, and might not be more tolerant on issues outside of college campuses.
Thank you for this and the previous article about gender and tolerance. I think your analyses are very useful and warrant much further research. I have been pretty riveted to this issue lately, as a person who believes quite passionately in the importance of free speech and ideological tolerance. Interestingly, I was homeschooled, and the community in which I grew up was quite religious. I am now an atheist but I have some thoughts on the religion effect as well as the homeschooling effect. People who are deeply embedded in a religious community have a secure and specific sense of their social place in the world and feel inherently set apart from numerous other possible worldviews (not just those that nonreligious people would find controversial). I think there is an inner stability built into that which makes it quite tolerable to listen to divergent views without feeling your own sense of reality to be threatened. You are certain that you are in touch with the truth and well practiced in listening patiently to (and internally dismissing) outside views. Whereas if you do not have a strongly defined and socially reinforced religious perspective, much more of your own worldview is on the table and at stake in any given interaction. You are more likely to feel your own perspective threatened, or to worry about other members of your social world holding or being persuaded by views that you don’t like.
Meanwhile, on homeschooling — my own parents are less tolerant than me; I question the “tolerant parents” explanation of the homeschooling effect; in my experience many parents choose to homeschool because they fear what they perceive to be dangerous outside influence on their children. However, by not being socialized in the kind of broadly regimented/conformist setting that public school creates, I found that I and other homeschooled people I’ve known developed a more individuated sense of our intellectual selves, thus finding it easier as adults to clearly separate out logic, speculation, and inquiry from social emotions.
I hope you continue to research and write about this topic and look forward to reading more in the future.
Damn straight it would be good to figure out what factors encourage tolerance. One of my guesses is having parents who model it. Homeschoolers would have more close and extended contact with their parents or whoever is doing the modeling at least. I've also found devout Christians (as perhaps reflected in church attendance) to be more tolerant and forbearing, even if they vehemently disagree, which i am often surprised to find out. I think it might be a tenet of the religion: "Judge not..." "As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone..." "Love your enemy."
One thing I wonder is whether support for tolerance is driven by a fear of being censored yourself. In that case, people who perceive themselves as being censored would be more likely to proclaim tolerance. So the very religious students might fear that their views get censored (especially if the very religious seek to convert others), and thus they self-report tolerance. Likewise, male students might think they are more likely to be censored and therefore support tolerance more than women.
And there's also an important question (very difficult to study) about whether professed tolerance translates to actual tolerance, where people who say they are tolerant with regard to college campus issues might not be tolerant in reality, and might not be more tolerant on issues outside of college campuses.
I've often thought this.
Thank you for this and the previous article about gender and tolerance. I think your analyses are very useful and warrant much further research. I have been pretty riveted to this issue lately, as a person who believes quite passionately in the importance of free speech and ideological tolerance. Interestingly, I was homeschooled, and the community in which I grew up was quite religious. I am now an atheist but I have some thoughts on the religion effect as well as the homeschooling effect. People who are deeply embedded in a religious community have a secure and specific sense of their social place in the world and feel inherently set apart from numerous other possible worldviews (not just those that nonreligious people would find controversial). I think there is an inner stability built into that which makes it quite tolerable to listen to divergent views without feeling your own sense of reality to be threatened. You are certain that you are in touch with the truth and well practiced in listening patiently to (and internally dismissing) outside views. Whereas if you do not have a strongly defined and socially reinforced religious perspective, much more of your own worldview is on the table and at stake in any given interaction. You are more likely to feel your own perspective threatened, or to worry about other members of your social world holding or being persuaded by views that you don’t like.
Meanwhile, on homeschooling — my own parents are less tolerant than me; I question the “tolerant parents” explanation of the homeschooling effect; in my experience many parents choose to homeschool because they fear what they perceive to be dangerous outside influence on their children. However, by not being socialized in the kind of broadly regimented/conformist setting that public school creates, I found that I and other homeschooled people I’ve known developed a more individuated sense of our intellectual selves, thus finding it easier as adults to clearly separate out logic, speculation, and inquiry from social emotions.
I hope you continue to research and write about this topic and look forward to reading more in the future.
Damn straight it would be good to figure out what factors encourage tolerance. One of my guesses is having parents who model it. Homeschoolers would have more close and extended contact with their parents or whoever is doing the modeling at least. I've also found devout Christians (as perhaps reflected in church attendance) to be more tolerant and forbearing, even if they vehemently disagree, which i am often surprised to find out. I think it might be a tenet of the religion: "Judge not..." "As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone..." "Love your enemy."