MYTH: The right is far less accepting of opposing beliefs.

REALITY: This is false. Various surveys show that the left is far more intolerant to opposing views than the right. Below are some of the surveys and reviews that prove that the left is far more intolerant.

DARTMOUTH SURVEY

According to a survey conducted at Dartmouth College, Democrats were the least tolerant students on campus. Of the 432 students surveyed, 45 percent of Democrats said they would feel uncomfortable having a roommate who holds the opposite political view. Only 12 percent of Republicans and 16 percent of Independents felt the same.

ANALYSIS DONE BY THE HILL

An analysis done by the Hill, based on research by a 2019 poll taken by PredictWise, showed that Republican counties were significantly more tolerant of Democrats than vice-versa. “Across both the top and bottom 1 percent, those counties with more Democrats and independents evidenced much higher levels of disdain for members of the other parties. Republican strongholds, however, reported much lower levels of dislike for the other side. Democrats only made up 16 percent of the most tolerant counties, with Republicans constituting 81 percent and independents 3.5 percent.”

SURVEY CENTER ON AMERICAN LIFE SURVEY

According to a survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life, a project of the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank, Republicans were more likely to have friends that are Democrats than vice-versa. According to the report, “Importantly, Republicans have more bipartisan friendships than Democrats do. A majority (53%) of Republicans say they have at least some friends who are Democrats. In contrast, less than one-third (32%) of Democrats say they have at least some Republican friends.”

GENERATION LAB/AXIOS SURVEY

According to Generation Lab/Axios survey, Republicans are much more tolerant than Democrats. 71% of Democrats on campus said that they wouldn’t go on a date with someone who supported the opposing presidential candidate, compared to 31% of Republicans who said the same. In addition, 37% of Democrats said that they wouldn’t be friends with someone who supported the opposition presidential candidate, compared to 5% of Republicans who said the same.

CATO INSTITUTE SURVEY

According to a Cato Institute survey, 50% of participants, that identify as strong liberals, support firing employees who have donated to the Trump campaign; compared to 36%, of self-identified strong conservatives, who support firing those who have donated to the Biden campaign.

FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN EDUCATION SURVEY

According to a survey by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, students identifying as Republican or Independent were more tolerant of speakers of the opposing view than Democratic students. 71% of strong Republicans support Biden speaking at their campus, compared to 49% of strong Democrats supporting Trump speaking at their campus.

ATLANTIC AND THE PUBLIC RELIGION RESEARCH INSTITUTE SURVEY

A survey conducted by the Atlantic and the Public Religion Research Institute, found that Democrats were more likely to show animosity towards opposing views. 45% percent of Democrats said that they would be displeased if their child married married a Republican, versus 35% of Republicans who would be displeased if their child married a Democrat.

SOURCES

Payton, B. (2017, April 26). Dartmouth study finds Democrats are the least tolerant students. The Federalist. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://thefederalist.com/2017/04/26/dartmouth-study-finds-democrats-least-tolerant-students-campus/

Rothschild, N. (2021, December 8). Young Democrats more likely to despise the other party. Axios. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.axios.com/2021/12/08/poll-political-polarization-students

Hutson, M. (2017, May 9). Why Liberals aren’t as tolerant as they think. Politico Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/09/why-liberals-arent-as-tolerant-as-they-think-215114/

Harper, J. (2021, June 11). Republicans make better friends than Democrats, poll finds. The Washington Times. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jun/11/republicans-make-better-friends-democrats/

What can we learn from the 1%? methods and analyses: Blog: The Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution: Teachers College, Columbia University. Columbia University. (2021, May 28). Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://icccr.tc.columbia.edu/blog/what-can-we-learn-from-the-1-methods-and-analyses/

Tenjarla, R., Ripley , A., & He, A. Y. (2019, March 4). The geography of partisan prejudice. The Atlantic. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/03/us-counties-vary-their-degree-partisan-prejudice/583072/

Coleman , P. T., Chan, A., & Hughes , C. (2021, June 9). Lessons from the most politically tolerant places in the US. The Hill. Retrieved August 15, 2022, from https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/opinion/campaign/557430-lessons-from-the-most-politically-tolerant-places-in-the-us/amp/