Religion, Diversity and Outgroup Tolerance Across 79 Countries: The ‘Homogenizing’ Role of Heterogeneity

Although a large body of research addresses the relationship between ethnic diversity and social tolerance, little is known about the role of religious diversity. Using mixed models fitted to World Values Survey data and national statistics from 79 countries, we examine how outgroup tolerance relates to religious identity and country-level religious diversity. We demonstrate three noteworthy findings: religious minorities are generally more tolerant than the majority population, regardless of religious diversity; tolerance is positively related to diversity; and the diversity–tolerance relationship is strongest for the majority population. Consistent with contact theory, these findings suggest that knowledge of outgroups plays a crucial role in shaping attitudes towards them. As members of an outgroup, minorities are more likely to understand outgroup disadvantage. Relative to the majority population, minorities are thus more tolerant of other minority groups, especially when diversity is low. In highly diverse societies, minority groups receive more exposure and knowledge of them increases, resulting in both minorities and the majority population being more tolerant of them.