“Tolerated One Way but Not the Other”: Levels and Determinants of Social and Political Tolerance in Hong Kong

Tolerance constitutes one of the core elements of a democratic political culture and an indicator of social cohesion. While the concepts of social tolerance and political tolerance have each generated a substantial body of literature, few studies have examined the two forms of tolerance simultaneously. Empirically, this study examines Hong Kong people’s social and political tolerance toward five minority or non-conformist groups. Analysis of survey data shows that degree of tolerance varies substantially across target groups. More important, the group that is the most tolerated socially is not necessarily the most tolerated politically. Many people are found to be holding the attitudes of “quiet co-existence” or “respectful distance” toward specific minority or non-conformist groups. This article also examines the demographic and attitudinal predictors of tolerance. It finds that tolerance is stronger among the youngest cohort and weaker among new immigrants. Tolerance is also significantly related to social trust and post-materialist orientation, yet not to a sense of relative deprivation. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014