Liberalization, education, and rights and tolerance attitudes

Abstract

Abstract Rights and a tolerance of diversity are central to a democratic polity, and for over 60 years scholars have viewed education as a powerful wellspring of liberal attitudes on these issues. But recent concerns with selection bias raise questions about whether exposure to education indeed shapes attitudes. This study offers new perspective on the influence of education on rights and tolerance attitudes in the United States. We use a larger and wider-ranging array of items (63) than has been considered in recent scholarship on this topic. Analyzing General Social Surveys panel data, we apply the Morgan/Winship model to address selection bias concerns. We find novel evidence that education shapes rights and tolerance attitudes. It is exposure to college education, not high school, that appears to be most consequential, suggesting the importance of higher-educational institutions to the diffusion of liberal attitudes. We discuss study limitations and directions for further investigation.