Explaining Self-Declared Social Tolerance for Human Diversity in Latin America and the Caribbean

Social tolerance enables heterogeneous persons to find harmony in their differences. This has been shown to reduce the likelihood of inter- and intra-group conflicts, thereby creating an environment conducive for economic and social development. This paper examines socio-economic factors that influence individual differences in social tolerance in Latin America and the Caribbean. Being mindful of the fact that there are socio-cultural differences between Latin America and the Caribbean, five dimensions of social tolerance are investigated: tolerance for racial and religious dissimilarity, homosexuals, AIDS victims and immigrants. Using the 2005 World Values Survey data, we simultaneously estimate tolerance towards these groups using multivariate probit models. Education is found to positively and significantly enhance all five dimensions of social tolerance, suggesting that policies meant to enhance social tolerance should be directed towards improving educational systems. Overall, the analysis underscores heterogeneity of factors affecting self-declared tolerance of the selected social groups. Thus, analyses of social tolerance and ensuing policies should be developed specific to a particular dimension of tolerance.