Rugged individuals and social butterflies: the consequences of social and individual political participation for political tolerance

Abstract

Empirical studies of political participation beyond voting include a variety of different activities—from campaigning and convincing friends to writing letters and writing checks. Some activities may have very different consequences for citizens. This paper presents the argument that social political activities, such as campaigning and attending meetings, enhance political tolerance, while individual political activities, such as contributing and contacting, do not. Survey data from the 1990 Citizen Participation Study reveals support for this argument. Consequently, it is suggested that future research pay more attention to the social and individual nature of political activities, particularly when considering the consequences for attitudes such as political tolerance.