Is Openness in Taste Directly Associated with Tolerance? Exploring a Relationship between Openness in Taste in Leisure Consumption and Attitudes toward Immigrants

Abstract

Openness in taste—presented in this study as the “backbone” of cultural omnivorousness—represents a standard of sophistication typical of cosmopolitan societies in accordance with the inclusive standards of cultural omnivorousness. In this study, I explore whether a specific case of openness in taste corresponds to a greater tolerance toward immigrants in the metropolitan research setting of Houston, Texas. This case study focuses on two different types of leisure activities: attendance at museums and live theaters, and attendance at sport events as highbrow and lowbrow activities, respectively. Using regression analysis, I examine whether the expected direct association between attendance at museums and live theaters and attendance at sport events varies by different degrees of tolerance toward immigrants. I find that openness in taste is not associated with a greater tolerance toward immigrants. Consequently, this case exemplifies how the sophistication attributed to openness in taste founded on cosmopolitan standards could be banal. I propose an alternative conceptual approach for discussing cases of openness in taste founded on entertainment such as the presented in this study, which might be useful for studying culture consumption and omnivorousness.