Does Intolerance Dampen Dissent? Macro-Tolerance and Protest in American Metropolitan Areas

50 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2016 Last revised: 30 May 2017

See all articles by Christopher Claassen

Christopher Claassen

University of Glasgow

James L. Gibson

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Political Science

Date Written: March 2017

Abstract

Political tolerance has long been regarded as one of the most important democratic values because intolerant political cultures are believed to foster conformity and inhibit dissent. Although widely endorsed, this theory has rarely been investigated. Using multilevel regression with poststratification to measure levels of macro-tolerance in U.S. metropolitan areas, and event data to measure rates of protest, we test whether cultures of intolerance do indeed inhibit public expressions of dissent. We find that they do: levels of macro-tolerance are positively and strongly associated with higher rates of protest in American metropolitan areas. Our findings have implications for the study of political tolerance, for normative theories of free speech and other civil liberties, and for scholarship on protest and collective action.

Keywords: Political Tolerance, Politcal Culture, Dissent, Macro-Tolerance, Public Opinion

JEL Classification: K40

Suggested Citation

Claassen, Christopher and Gibson, James L., Does Intolerance Dampen Dissent? Macro-Tolerance and Protest in American Metropolitan Areas (March 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2754211 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2754211

Christopher Claassen (Contact Author)

University of Glasgow ( email )

School of Social and Political Sciences
Glasgow, G12 8QQ
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://chrisclaassen.com

James L. Gibson

Washington University in St. Louis - Department of Political Science ( email )

One Brookings Drive
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130
United States

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