Political Tolerance in New Zealand

Abstract

Samuel Stouffer's seminal study of political tolerance in the United States made a crucial mistake when it concentrated on the civil liberties citizens would accord left-wing groups (viz., communists, socialists, and atheists) and then came to the almost tautological conclusion that left-wing people were likely to be more tolerant than people of other political persuasions. In assessing political tolerance it is essential to measure the tolerance (or lack thereof) that people have for target groups of their own choice. Consequently, a series of survey-research studies has been undertaken in America, Israel and New Zealand that centre on the groups in politics that the individuals interviewed liked the least.

This paper reports on the results of the New Zealand study. The unpopular groups in New Zealand politics are outlined, and the ideological consistency of the survey's respondents with respect to their selection of least-liked groups assessed. The wider implications of the findings are considered in the concluding section of the paper.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Benn, S.I. and R.S. Peters , (1959), Social Principles and the Democratic State , London, Allen and Unwin.

Bentham, J. (1891), A Fragment on Government. Edited with an introduction by F. C. Montague. Oxford, Clarendon Press. Originally published in 1776.

Butterworth, G.V. (1982), 'Policing an Increasingly Troubled, Divided Democracy' , National Business Review Outlook, (March).

Dahl, R.A. (1956), A Preface to Democratic Theory, Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Mill, J.S. (1956), On Liberty Edited with an introduction by C. V. Shields. Indianapolis and New York, Bobbs-Merrill. Originally published in 1859.

Norc , (1977), General Social Survey, Chicago, National Opinion Research Centre, University of Chicago. Cited in Sullivan et al., 1979.

Sabine, G.S. (1963), A History of Political Theory, 3rd edition, London, George Harrap.

Schattschneider, E.E. (1960), The Semi-Sovereign People, New York, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Stouffer, S.A. (1955), Communism, Conformity, and Civil Liberties , New York, Doubleday.

10.

Sullivan, J.L. , J. Piereson , and G.E. Marcus , (1979), 'An Alternative Conceptualisation of Political Tolerance: Illusory Increases 1950s-1970s', American Political Science Review, 73, 2.

11.

Sullivan, J.L. , J. Piereson , and G.E. Marcus , (1982), Political Tolerance and American Democracy , Chicago, University of Chicago Press .