Content area
The present study is specifically designed to collect and discuss various easily available scales on tolerance. Through this study various aspects/dimensions of the tolerance are identified which includes political, religious and economic wellbeing. Religious tolerance is focusing on adaptation of followers to diversity and pluralism. The new approach promulgated in political tolerance measurement of the respondents is by selecting the least liked group. This technique is considered appropriate in measuring tolerance level of the people. Similarly, economic wellbeing and tolerance estimation is investigated with reference to social diversity of groups. Each one is briefly discussed with its reference, target area and nature of the respondents. Major uniform themes are identified to be used in future scale on tolerance. We hope that this input will help the researchers in their researches. This is a type of library and/or disk study where scales are surfed through internet and discussed in the class room for meaningful inferences.
Abstract
The present study is specifically designed to collect and discuss various easily available scales on tolerance. Through this study various aspects/dimensions of the tolerance are identified which includes political, religious and economic wellbeing. Religious tolerance is focusing on adaptation of followers to diversity and pluralism. The new approach promulgated in political tolerance measurement of the respondents is by selecting the least liked group. This technique is considered appropriate in measuring tolerance level of the people. Similarly, economic wellbeing and tolerance estimation is investigated with reference to social diversity of groups. Each one is briefly discussed with its reference, target area and nature of the respondents. Major uniform themes are identified to be used in future scale on tolerance. We hope that this input will help the researchers in their researches. This is a type of library and/or disk study where scales are surfed through internet and discussed in the class room for meaningful inferences.
Keywords: Tolerance, Dimensions, Political, Religious, Economic, and Scale
Introduction
Measuring tolerance means to estimate the capacity of a person with reference to his or her adjustment with the most disliked person or group or situation. An individual in the context of tolerance belongs to some of the contexts, social settings within defined social territory of relationships in which he/she has some sort of belongingness, likes and dislikes, sense of loyalty and to sacrifice subjective and objective property. However, the question here arises that in the society where different level of interests, priorities and social settings exist due to technological exposure and advancement in access towards knowledge, so people tends to have different opinions and interests, leads to conflicts in society. In such a situation, tolerance of religious, social and political pluralism becomes vital for the good of society and its people. As such social milieu is considered conducive for all irrespective of their cast, creed, religion, color and gender.
Tolerance is 'putting up' with something you do not like (Vogt, 1997). Tolerance contains an internal paradox of accepting the things one rejects or objects to. To overcome or avoid conflict, one needs to tolerate the very things one abhors, disagrees with, disapproves of or dislikes (Gibson, 2006; Sullivan & Transue, 1999).
Tolerance exists in the space between indifference and acceptance (Oberdiek 2001). One cannot tolerate an idea one supports or a group towards which one is positively predisposed. To advance an analogy, one would not test a host's hospitality by seeing how a close friend is treated but by how strangers even enemies are treated (Miller, 1990). For this reason, tolerance is now conventionally measured using a survey-based, "content controlled" methodology through which respondents first identify their own "least-liked group" and then respond to a series of questions regarding their willingness to afford this group certain basic rights such as the right to hold a demonstration, make a speech, run for public office, teach in public high schools, or exist as a political entity (Sullivan et al. 1982).
Various Dimensions of Tolerance
1.Religious Tolerance
Religious tolerance generally means respect for religious diversity. It means respect for the rights of others to have different faith, spiritual values, beliefs and practices that are different from your own. According to Aimee Larsen Stoddard, "Religious tolerance is allowing followers of other religions to follow their spiritual beliefs without oppression or discrimination. Tolerance may not necessarily extend beyond religious beliefs to include some religious actions particularly those that harm or harass others. According to Forst (2008) "Religious believers should allow for the possibility that their own religious beliefs are false and that those of their various rivals are true. Since they ought to be interested in discovering and respecting religious truth, they ought to tolerate other religious beliefs, which may possibly be true. Religious tolerance is important subject to understand especially in multicultural and multi-religious countries.
We are presenting and discussing the available scale on religious tolerance which is constructed by Johannes L van der Walt (2014) in South Africa below:
Measuring Religious Tolerance in Education (Towards an instrument for measuring religious tolerance among educators and their students worldwide
The scale contains total number of 20 items mostly in statement format. It is closed ended scale where 13 items are having five options from strongly agree to strongly disagree sequence while the remaining 7 items are constructed in a format where the respondent is asked to place oneself in any of the categories given in those items. This is an enriched form of scale constructed by the author for gauging the religious tolerance because this scale studies the level of tolerance of an individual from a diverse area and position. It focuses on individuals belonging to many of the aspects going through diverse social positions and situations in religious matters. In this study, the author covering three different types of personalities relating items in the scale which are discussed below:
The items, have been added in this scale of study illustrates that the researchers should also keep these items for measuring religious tolerance. The position, at which an individual stands in his/her religious status belonging to a particular religion is so strong, and is foreseeing other religious values as useless, less important or wrong. In this context, the person is strongly belonging to a particular religion and is conscious about the status of values, right and wrong in his own religion. And individual confidence in own belief is high and that's why he or she perceives other as wrong. The individual sometime ready to accept the people belong to other religion however is not inclined to interpret their religion as true or right.
Other type of area focused in this study is from the angle of somewhat extrovert personality in which one is open to diversity of religions. The individuals are said to live in pluralistic society. That's why they can be asked to what extent and what cost they are ready to follow the religious way of life of others. In this aspect this is also noted that if someone willing to accept others religion then how a person is interpreting their religion whether from own or relative approach. It can also be added that can a person place oneself in the shoes of others or to what extent one is ready to adopt others. Therefore the item should also be kept in the scale for measuring religious tolerance that is there right to others for following their own belief of religion as true though wrong it is in the real sense.
Items from a middle line approach are also given in the questionnaire constructed in this study. People belong to diverse way of life belief in diversity, liberalism and freedom of expression. If one wants to know about the tolerance level of those people who believes in middle line approach and see the word as religious free, consider people as human and humanity ultimately. One believes that's why on universal and one set values. And these would be the values which are not religious in nature and belongs to the civility, politeness, obedience, brotherhood and peaceful coexistence etc. One judge the wellbeing of the society in the spirit in which it is examined that how much people are tolerant is to one another. The researchers should also make these items part of the scale given by the author J L van der Walt in this instrument, explained here.
In this category of people one do not focuses on religious values as it makes people different from one another and creates the space for intolerance. On the other hand the people is not bothered by the other religious values and say that people are free according to their own religious way of life if they want. He/She believe in seeing the spirit of religious truth as temporary, open to criticism, weaknesses and can be enriched through religious dialogues. The persons see change in religious views because of local conditions take people to only one God/god and super natural power.
2.Political tolerance
In social science research, political tolerance is understood as the willingness to extend basic procedural rights and civil liberties to groups one strongly dislikes, or which espouse ideas and pursue interests that one opposes (Sullivan et al. 1982).
Samuel Andrew Stouffer (June 06, 1900-August 24, 1960) is one of the leading names in the field of political tolerance. He is a professor of Sociology in America who in 1954 conducted a survey on measuring political tolerance of Americans against specific focus groups namely, communist, atheist and socialists.
His focus was on whether their groups should be allowed to keep their jobs allowed to make a speech in community, his book removed from public library etc. However with the passage of time when Stouffer study and survey questions were critically examined after decades, so the items in scale for tolerance were modified with few additions and removal.
It was the study conducted by the three researchers John L. Sullivan, James Piereson, George E. Marcus in 1979 titled as "An Alternative Conceptualization of Political Tolerance: Illusory Increases 1950s-1970". In this study the criteria selected for measuring tolerance among the masses were challenged by these research scientists. According to them, the respondents should be conditioned against the specific groups for measuring tolerance. The people or the groups (communist, atheist and socialist), which were selected in the previous studies may not get the same response as was in the past, and it was the case. According to Sullivan, Piereson and Marcus (1979), due to the changed status and role of the communists parties in the United States now people view them differently beyond the tolerance debate. So the study came to the conclusion that respondents be asked to identify the group they liked the least, however the list can be made of the some possible groups, from which respondents should choose one of the more disliked groups. In the Sullivan et al. (1979) study then they made some necessary questions about the most disliked groups. In which about the space was asked from the respondents in different sphere of life for the purpose to measure the possible level of tolerance against the disliked group, party or one of its members. The questions are given in the following detail:
1. Members of the _ should be banned from being president of the United States.
2. Members of the _ should be allowed to teach in the public schools.
3. The_should be outlawed.
4. Members of the _ should be allowed to make a speech in this city.
5. The _should have their phones tapped by our government.
6. The _ should be allowed to hold public rallies in our city.
For measuring political tolerance same studies within Pakistan and other country was also found following the chain of these six items mostly prevails in tolerance studies. These items show the authenticity and high space by the scholars from different domains. Similar study conducted by one of the KUST (Kohat University of Science and Technology) students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa used the same method while measuring political tolerance in Kohat district.
Measuring Political Tolerance among Youth: A Case Study of District Kohat
This is a case study conducted in one of the districts Kohat, Khyber Pakhutnkhwa by Abbas Mahmood Qureshi titled "Measuring Political Tolerance among Youth" in 2015, in order to measure the political tolerance among youth (See Appendix 3). This study is conducted for the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Sociology at the department of Social Work & Sociology, in the Kohat University of Science & Technology (KUST).
In this questionnaire the researcher added some of the questions on extent of attending ceremonies or to know that how much person is trying to maintain his relationship and ties with the interested political party. This is for the purpose that each individual when belonging to any political party have some sort of belongingness and capability for giving time to be updated about the party and have active status in the party. For this purpose the researcher put some questions on the frequency of watching news channel.
To know the background of a person while measuring his/her political tolerance the researcher have put the question to know that whether the respondent has attended madrasa education or not, as in Pakistani context madrasa education impart its own politico-educational approach of the students influencing dimensions of tolerance.
Democracy is one of the types of government systems which is based on tolerance and give space and opportunity to pluralistic society. That's why the author made it necessary to know about the interested political system to which an individual is more inclined for example democracy, dictatorship and khilafat or any other.
In order to find out the political approach of an individual, the question related to the countries which might be worst enemies of Pakistan or best friend has been added in the questionnaire. Like America, Iran, India, China and Afghanistan.
To find out the political participation of an individual the question on being part of political campaign or experience and intention in future for casting a vote is added within the tool for measuring political tolerance.
For measuring tolerance within any sphere the portion of questions are also kept on the dimension of the phenomenon which an individual dislikes in his/her perception. So the item on political party is kept in the tool which an individual dislike, i.e. Choosing from one of the disliked political parties like PTI, JI, PPP, PML-N, PML-Q, ANP and JUI.
Following that section questions on the disliked has been raised in relation to ask about the space giving to the disliked political party in different sphere of people life. Such questions are given here from the Appendix-3 pointing out space for the disliked members or party in some aspect of human life.
Statements about the Disliked Political Group
1. A member of this political party should be allowed to become a Prime Minister of Pakistan?
2. Would you allow a leader of this political party to deliver speeches in your area?
3. Books written by members of this political party should be allowed in the local library?
4. Should the Government record telephone data of this party?
5. This political party should be allowed to demonstrate or arrange rallies in your area?
6. Would you like to be friend of member of this political party?
7. This political party should be allowed to take part in cultural activities?
8. A member of this political party should be allowed to teach in school or college?
9. Would you allow a member of this political party to attend any religious ceremony in your mosque?
10. Would you allow a member of this political party for a job in your area?
11. This political party should be allowed to publish their articles or books in newspaper etc?
In the above given questions the space for disliked group of individuals has been highlighted in the areas which have key role in society, whether that is for the purpose to propagate their agenda/ideology or have place in decision making to have hegemony over others.
At the end of the tool some of the questions outside the box of religious matter are also given. The respondent's religiosity being Muslim is also kept in mind that's why statements about the atheist and secular are also given. To know for the space of delivering speech in local area, schools and so on like eating meal with secular/atheist or have availability of the books written by the secular or atheist.
The Behavioral Consequences of Political Tolerance
The doctoral thesis conducted for estimating the behavioral dimension of political tolerance in America and Hungary by Aaron Joseph Abbarno, was planned by the University of Pittsburgh which used the same scale with addition of some demographic and localized items in the questionnaire. The study adds some personal items related to the personality traits and inclination of the respondents in order to define his or her tolerant or intolerant attitude within actual context.
The study put forward some positive democratic statements in front of the respondent from which individual has to select and respond in a way which he/she likes while reacting to a disliked group action or behavior. The democratic system allows public to have say for their rights in an electoral procedural form or following a peaceful protests.
As mentioned earlier this study also putting up some groups in which individual has to choose the one he/she dislikes. Further it describes about the social space from a person in community and schools etc.
Fear of feeling insecurity and threat is also one of the dimensions in individual life in which a person feels threat from a group he or she dislikes. That's why the researcher make some items part of this scale in order to measure that to what extent an individual feels that a particular group is threat or dangerous to the society. And the group shall be expected to take away the freedom and democratic rights of the people.
In addition it points out the various aspects of support for individual liberty over public order and society. It inquires about individual political freedom in a society that to what extent the individual or organization should be allowed to move on the political ideologies in the society, if in case it is disruptive to the society as a whole so political freedom or the social order be preferred.
The scale further focuses on the dogmatic level of behavior in an individual. The purpose of this is to know about the capacity and approach of a person toward good and bad, right and wrong. The level of compromise in a personality affects the response of individual in tolerance context. Hence it is considered as necessary item in the tolerance scale.
2. Economic tolerance
Tolerance by itself is linked by the researchers to many of the aspects of individuals' life. It is a multi-dimensional phenomena and that is why researchers from economic domain also study tolerance in economic sphere. Sometime tolerance of a community affects the economic growth on a large scale and defines their cultural historical approach towards the economic diversity in tolerance sphere. The study on tolerance and its impact on economic wellbeing is given here.
Estimating Tolerance and its Impact on Economic Wellbeing: A case study of District Peshawar
A study of district Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for the partial fulfillment of the degree of M.Phil in Economics conducted by "Muhammad Adil Saleem" at department of Economic, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, Pakistan in 2016. The study titled as "Estimating Tolerance and its Impact on Economic Wellbeing" focuses on to know about the status of tolerance in the community in regard to the economic diversity and its impact on Economic wellbeing in the society.
Like other studies of tolerance this research approached investigation also purposes to dig out the phenomena with the intention that to what extent individual is open to diversity in social life for economic gains. This study is mainly focused to social and religious aspects. It is not confined to the usual scale items and the methodology while estimating tolerance. As the scale constructed in this study does not conditions one person to the particular groups in community. It is a micro level of study in its essence while collecting data from the individuals because it focuses on the individual personal life various situations within which he or she works his/her economic doings.
Individual life matters from shopping, buying, purchasing and till even holding own businesses within communal life. However it sometime is negatively affected for the person belonging to a particular ethnicity, race, religion and class that's why the research author aims to measure the social behavior of people in economic sphere. So the researcher in this scale added that how individual feels within neighborhood, workplace or in other situation confronting economic activities.
The people belonging to a particular group (race, ethnicity, religion, sect and class) feel change in their behavior with different kind of people. If a person is working in the subordination, supervision, in partnership with a person belonging to other group or sect, affect the economic behavior. Sometime the Boss exercise his/her ethnic or religious preferences over the subordinate give a sociological sparking in their relation influence space for economic activities.
Few items on determinants of tolerance in this scale are added in order to measure the intensity of belongingness to the religion and exposure to the diversity through newspaper or TV channels. Sense of security is also estimated through the given two items in the scale.
Conclusions
The attachment of a person minimizes or maximizes the space for other people belonging to other groups or interest area. Attachment to the particular type of lifestyle of the group, settings and social setup within available social structure or pattern leads to the cooperation, sacrifice, cost, love and affection of individuals. In the situation where consciousness of a person is higher, affects the response of an individual towards other. This is also to be noted that feeling of safety or insecurity of an individual's contribute to tolerance and intolerance of an individual. The level or intensity of being threatened is one of the indicators of tolerance. That, is particular group threat to the existence of the religion to which an individual belongs? However on the side of being tolerant one easily cannot bother about what other people think or do in their own context or social setting matters because the person looks at it as own and believe in dogmatism. The people who are tolerant are willing to live according to a set of values that all people can share and that is not one sided to favor a particular religion.
The extent of tolerance is also one of the key areas in measuring the tolerance that's why the research scholars also tend to add some of the questions on the extent of tolerance. That if an individual is supporting other religions, political parties, classes, race or ethnic groups in a pluralistic society so to what extent and at what cost person is able to tolerate others. Here the question is, if a person is willing then how he or she is interpreting others and thinking of the followers whether from his/her own approach of right and wrong or through relative approach.
References
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Gibson, James L. 2006. "Enigmas of Intolerance: Fifty Years After Stouffer's Communism, Conformity, and Civil Liberties'" Perspectives on Politics 4(1): 21 - 34.
Miller, William Ian. 1990. Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law and Society in Saga Iceland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Oberdiek, Hans. 2001. Tolerance: Between Acceptance and Forbearance. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Qureshi, A.M. (2015). Measuring Political Tolerance among Youth: A Case Study of District Kohat (Unpublished Master's thesis). Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST) Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
Saleem. M.A. (2016). Estimating Tolerance and its Impact on Economic Wellbeing (Unpublished M.Phil thesis). Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Sullivan, John L. and John E. Transue. 1999. "The Psychological Underpinnings of Democracy: A Selective Review of Research on Political Tolerance, Interpersonal Trust, and Social Capital." Annual Review of Psychology 50: 625 - 50.
Sullivan, John L., James Piereson, and George E. Marcus. 1982. Political Tolerance and American Democracy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
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Copyright University of Peshawar, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies Jul-Dec 2018