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Roots of tolerance among second-generation immigrants

Berggren, Niclas ; Ljunge, Martin and Nilsson, Therese LU (2019) In Journal of Institutional Economics 15(6). p.999-1016
Abstract
Tolerance – respecting individual choice and differences among people – is a prominent feature of modern European culture. That immigrants embrace this kind of liberal value is arguably important for integration, a central policy goal. We provide a rigorous study of what factors in the ancestral countries of second-generation immigrants – including formal and informal institutions – predict their level of tolerance towards gay people. Using the epidemiological method allows us to rule out reverse causality. Out of the 46 factors examined, one emerges as very robust: a Muslim ancestral background. Tolerance towards gay people is lower the larger the share of Muslims in the country from which the parents emigrated. An instrumental-variable... (More)
Tolerance – respecting individual choice and differences among people – is a prominent feature of modern European culture. That immigrants embrace this kind of liberal value is arguably important for integration, a central policy goal. We provide a rigorous study of what factors in the ancestral countries of second-generation immigrants – including formal and informal institutions – predict their level of tolerance towards gay people. Using the epidemiological method allows us to rule out reverse causality. Out of the 46 factors examined, one emerges as very robust: a Muslim ancestral background. Tolerance towards gay people is lower the larger the share of Muslims in the country from which the parents emigrated. An instrumental-variable analysis shows that the main mechanism is not through the individual being a Muslim, but through the individual being highly religious. Two additional attitudes among people in the ancestral country (valuing children being tolerant and respectful, and valuing children taking responsibility), as well as impartial institutions in the ancestral country, predict higher individual tolerance. Our findings thus point to an important role for both formal- and informal-institutional background factors in shaping tolerance. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Institutional Economics
volume
15
issue
6
pages
18 pages
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85068526652
ISSN
1744-1382
DOI
10.1017/S1744137419000316
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5f3402f8-e80c-47d2-ad9a-9b9d968c44af
date added to LUP
2019-06-12 10:21:54
date last changed
2022-04-26 01:08:49
@article{5f3402f8-e80c-47d2-ad9a-9b9d968c44af,
  abstract     = {{Tolerance – respecting individual choice and differences among people – is a prominent feature of modern European culture. That immigrants embrace this kind of liberal value is arguably important for integration, a central policy goal. We provide a rigorous study of what factors in the ancestral countries of second-generation immigrants – including formal and informal institutions – predict their level of tolerance towards gay people. Using the epidemiological method allows us to rule out reverse causality. Out of the 46 factors examined, one emerges as very robust: a Muslim ancestral background. Tolerance towards gay people is lower the larger the share of Muslims in the country from which the parents emigrated. An instrumental-variable analysis shows that the main mechanism is not through the individual being a Muslim, but through the individual being highly religious. Two additional attitudes among people in the ancestral country (valuing children being tolerant and respectful, and valuing children taking responsibility), as well as impartial institutions in the ancestral country, predict higher individual tolerance. Our findings thus point to an important role for both formal- and informal-institutional background factors in shaping tolerance.}},
  author       = {{Berggren, Niclas and Ljunge, Martin and Nilsson, Therese}},
  issn         = {{1744-1382}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{999--1016}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Journal of Institutional Economics}},
  title        = {{Roots of tolerance among second-generation immigrants}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1744137419000316}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S1744137419000316}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}