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Principled Tolerance and the American Mass Public

Author

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  • Sniderman, Paul M.
  • Tetlock, Philip E.
  • Glaser, James M.
  • Green, Donald Philip
  • Hout, Michael

Abstract

Americans appear to be more tolerant of deviant opinions and life-styles now than they were a generation ago. Recent research by Sullivan and his colleagues suggests, however, that this apparent change is largely illusory – a product not of an increase in principled support for tolerance, but rather of shifts in public dislike for, and hence intolerance of, particular political groups. An alternative account of tolerance is proposed which shows that citizen attitudes on issues of tolerance are remarkably consistent – far more so than has been commonly appreciated. In particular, the empirical analysis distinguishes two kinds of consistency – ‘principled’ and ‘situational’. Using log-linear techniques, it demonstrates that substantial numbers of the general public now support a variety of forms of tolerance consistently; and do so, not for reasons peculiar to each, but rather on principle.The broader implications of the results for the study of public opinion and democratic theory are noted.

Suggested Citation

  • Sniderman, Paul M. & Tetlock, Philip E. & Glaser, James M. & Green, Donald Philip & Hout, Michael, 1989. "Principled Tolerance and the American Mass Public," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(1), pages 25-45, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:19:y:1989:i:01:p:25-45_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Mikael Hjerm & Maureen A. Eger & Andrea Bohman & Filip Fors Connolly, 2020. "A New Approach to the Study of Tolerance: Conceptualizing and Measuring Acceptance, Respect, and Appreciation of Difference," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 897-919, February.
    2. J. Tobin Grant & Thomas J. Rudolph, 2003. "Value Conflict, Group Affect, and the Issue of Campaign Finance," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 47(3), pages 453-469, July.
    3. Sara B. Hobolt & Wouter Van der Brug & Claes H. De Vreese & Hajo G. Boomgaarden & Malte C. Hinrichsen, 2011. "Religious intolerance and Euroscepticism," European Union Politics, , vol. 12(3), pages 359-379, September.
    4. Kwame Asamoah & Emmanuel Yeboah-Assiamah & Alex Osei-Kojo, 2014. "Demons of Transitional Democracies: Politics of Insults and Acrimony in Ghana," Journal of Social Science Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 1(1), pages 44-56, January.

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