Tolerance, trust, and solidarity are three key themes for understanding life in society. These interrelated values are fundamental to building a harmonious, resilient and inclusive society, where people can live together peacefully and contribute to mutual well-being.
Tolerance is a central theme that reflects not only the degree of openness of a society towards diversity but also its vulnerabilities. In an era where globalization and migration flows are redefining national identities, the perception and acceptance of diverse social groups play a crucial role in social cohesion. Perhaps the best way to measure people’s tolerance is to challenge their living environment. The questionnaire of the European Values Study includes the question (often used in social distance studies): Who would you not like to have as neighbours? The social groups considered are: People of a different race, Heavy drinkers, Immigrants/foreign workers, Drug addicts, Homosexuals, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and Gypsies.
Europeans have responded as follows.
Drug addicts and habitual drinkers are among the most rejected in almost all countries, with percentages often exceeding 60-70%. This indicates a very high level of stigma associated with behaviours linked to addictions, likely due to perceptions of danger or social discomfort. The rejection of gypsies is generally high, especially in Central and Eastern European countries, such as Bulgaria (66.99), the Czech Republic (64.12), and Slovakia (63.86). This reflects the persistent discrimination and marginalization of this community.
The percentage of people who would not want immigrants or foreign workers as neighbours varies considerably between countries. In Western and Northern European countries, such as Sweden and France, the level of rejection is lower compared to Eastern European countries, where tolerance towards these groups is less. Although the percentages of rejection are generally lower compared to drug addicts, habitual drinkers, and gypsies, there are still significant differences between countries regarding intolerance towards people of different races and homosexuals. In Western European countries, the rejection of people of different races and homosexuals is generally lower. In contrast, it is higher in Eastern European countries, such as Bulgaria and Armenia, indicating a lower tolerance level.
The graph below highlights a clear geographical gradient, with Eastern European countries tending to have higher rejection levels for almost all categories compared to Western European countries. This may reflect historical, cultural, and social differences in attitudes towards diversity and tolerance.
Chart: Percentage of people that wouldn’t like to have some people as neighbours
Source: Atlas of European Values
According to the European Value Study, 68.81% of Europeans consider it essential to educate their children in tolerance and respect for others. However, this view is not uniform across the continent: countries in northern and western Europe are particularly inclined to value education for tolerance, while in other areas the percentage is lower.
For example, in Sweden, Iceland and Norway, over 90% of the population believe it is important to teach children the importance of respect for others. On the other hand, countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans have lower percentages. In Slovakia, less than 32% of the population consider it a priority to teach tolerance to young people; even in Ukraine, Romania and Russia, tolerance is not seen with the same educational urgency that characterizes northern Europe, stopping around 50-55%.
Chart: Percentage of people that want to teach their children tolerance and respect for other people
Source: Atlas of European Values
The EVS data also show the percentages of people in different countries who say they trust various categories: “people they know”, “neighbors”, “people of another religion” and “people of another nationality”. Confidence levels tend to be higher in northern and western European countries, with nations such as Iceland, Denmark and Sweden showing particularly high levels of confidence across all categories. Iceland, in particular, stands out with an impressive confidence that exceeds 90% in three categories (the fourth is a high of 88.46%).
Western European countries such as the Netherlands, the UK, and Switzerland also show high levels of trust. However, it is especially high towards neighbours and people they know and lower towards people of different religions or nationalities.
Finally, the confidence levels of the countries of Urinal Europe and the Balkans are generally lower, especially regarding people of different religions and nationalities. For example, Romania (29.53 and 25.98 respectively) and Cyprus (26.98 and 26.80 respectively) show some of the lowest levels of trust towards people of another religion or nationality, indicating a lower social openness.
This distribution highlights the influence of cultural, historical and social factors on social confidence.
Chart: Percentage of people that trust people completely or somewhat
Source: Atlas of European Values
To study in-depth and become acquainted with our studies on the European Value of this topic, please refer to our publications based on the EVS data and listed in the EVS Bibliography (the EVS Bibliography is annually updated) of which you can find below an excerpt of the latest:
Achterberg, Peter and Van Mol, Christof (2022): “Trust Thy Neighbour. Contextualizing the Relationship Between NonReligiosity and Tolerance”. In: Reflections on European Values: Honouring Loek Halman’s contribution to the European Values Study, edited by Ruud Luijkx, Tim Reeskens and Inge Sieben, 236-247. Tilburg: Open Press TiU.
Adman, Per and Gschwind, Lutz (2023): “Is the Positive Effect of Education on Ethnic Tolerance a Method Artifact? A Multifactorial Survey Experiment on Social Desirability Bias in Sweden”. In: International Journal of Public Opinion Research 35 (4): 1-6.
Almakaeva, Anna; Chervinsky, Igor and Mikhailova, Natalia (2023): “(In)Tolerance in the Black Sea Region”. In: Social Values and Identities in the Black Sea Region, edited by Malina Voicu, Kseniya Kizilova and Marian Zulean. London: Lexington Books.
Arts, Wil and Gelissen, John (2001): “Welfare States, Solidarity and Justice Principles: Does the Type Really Matter?”. In: Acta Sociologica 44 (4): 283-299. https://doi.org/10.1177/000169930104400401 .
Belov, A. A.; Danilov, A. N. and Rotman, D. G. (2023): “Человек-толерантный в ценностной системе координат «эссенциализм — экзистенциализм» (Homo tolerant in the value system “essentialism – existentialism”)”. In: RUDN Journal of Sociology 23 (4): 740-753.
Bor, Alexander; Jørgensen, Frederik and Petersen, Michael Bang (2023): “The COVID-19 pandemic eroded system support but not social solidarity”. In: PLOS ONE 18 (8): 1-19.
Bramanti, Donatella; Moscatelli, Matteo and Regalia, Camillo (2021): “Country Report: Intergenerational Family Solidarity and Key Life Domains in Italy”. In: Families and Family Values in Society and Culture, edited by Isabelle Albert, Mirza Emirhafizovic, Carmit-Noa Shpigelman and Ursula Trummer, 225-250. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.
Bréchon, Pierre (2020): “Des Français beaucoup plus solidaires qu’on ne le croit”. Villeurbanne: Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe. https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02467071/document.
Brgles, Miriam Mary and Ježovita, Josip (2023): “Povjerenje mladih u medije u Hrvatskoj u usporedbi s mladima u Europi temeljem Europske studije vrijednosti (Young People’s Confidence in the Media in Croatia Compared to Young People in Europe Based on the European Values Study)”. In: Medijska istraživanja, 29 (2): 35-65.
Dincă, Melinda and Lucheș, Daniel (2021): “Opiniile liceenilor despre toleranță”. In: Atlasul valorilor sociale. România la 100 de ani, edited by Bogdan Voicu, Horațiu Rusu and Claudiu D. Tufiș, 187-192. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană.
Eriksson, Kimmo; Simpson, Brent and Vartanova, Irina (2021): “The Power of Tolerance vs. Unselfishness as a Cultural Determinant of Cooperation”. In: Frontiers in Psychology 12: 1-10.
Förtsch, Mona and Rösel, Felix (2019): “Ehrenamt und Toleranz brauchen lokale Wurzeln”. In: ifo Dresden berichtet 26 (06): 3-7. https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/ifoDD_19-06_03-07_Foertsch.pdf .
Gouvêa Maciel, Gustavo (2021): “What we (don’t) know so far about tolerance towards corruption in european democracies: Measurement approaches, determinants, and types”. In: Social Indicators Research 157: 1131-1153.
Halman, Loek and Sieben, Inge (2021): “On solidarity in Europe: Evidence from the 2017 European Values Study”. In: Leading social policy analysis from the front. Essays in honour of Wim van Oorschot, edited by Tijs Laenen, Bart Meuleman, Adeline Otto, Femke Roosma and Wim Van Lancker, 363-377. Leuven.
Homola, Jonathan; Pereira, Miguel M. and Tavits, Margit (2020): “Legacies of the Third Reich: Concentration Camps and Out-group Intolerance”. In: American Political Science Review 114 (2): 573-590. First published online: January 27, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055419000832 .
Horațiu, Rusu and Anca, Bejenaru (2023): “Examining Traits of Engagement in Solidarity Actions in Romania: An Analysis of Findings from Social Values Studies with a Comparative Emphasis”. In: Social Change Review 20 (1): 162-180.
Larsen, Mikkel Haderup (2023): “Once they are seated: the impact of radical right parties’ political representation on attitudes of trust and solidarity”. In: European Political Science Review 15 (1): 57-74.
Lomazzi, Vera (2021): “Can We Compare Solidarity Across Europe? What, Why, When, and How to Assess Exact and Approximate Equivalence of First- and Second-Order Factor Models”. In: Frontiers in Political Science 3: 1-21.
Magni-Berton, Raùl (2021): “The development of tolerance in Europe: The contrast between ethical and civic issues”. In: Futuribles 443 (4): 39-50.
Montoro-Gurich, Carolina and Garcia-Vivar, Cristina (2019): “The Family in Europe: Structure, Intergenerational Solidarity, and New Challenges to Family Health”. In: Journal of Family Nursing 25 (2): 170-189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1074840719841404 .
Oorschot, Wim van; Gielens, Erwin and Roosma, Femke (2022): “Conditionality of Solidarity in The Netherlands: An Analysis of Three Waves of the European Values Study”. In: Reflections on European Values: Honouring Loek Halman’s contribution to the European Values Study, edited by Ruud Luijkx, Tim Reeskens and Inge Sieben, 404-419. Tilburg: Open Press TiU.
Pepinsky, Thomas B.; Wallace Goodman, Sara and Ziller, Conrad (2023): “Modeling Spatial Heterogeneity and Historical Persistence: Nazi Concentration Camps and Contemporary Intolerance”. In: American Political Science Review: 1-10.
Plenković, Mateja and Ježovita, Josip (2022): “Analysis of Tolerance in Six European Mediterranean Countries”. In: Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems 20 (6): 662-680.
Quandt, Markus and Lomazzi, Vera (2023): “Solidarity: A European Value?”. In: Values – Politics – Religion: The European Values Study: In-depth Analysis – Interdisciplinary Perspectives – Future Prospects, edited by Regina Polak and Patrick Rohs, 249-280. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Reine, Ieva; Reine, Agnese; Ivanovs, Andrejs; Kairys, Antanas; Guðmundsson, Halldór S.; Koroļeva, Ilze; Miķelsone, Madara; Kuļigina, Nadežda; Rajevska, Olga et al. (2023): “Intergenerational solidarity in the Nordic and Baltic regions”. In: Intergenerational Relations – Contemporary Theories, Studies and Policies, edited by Andrzej Klimczuk, 1-39. Rijeka: IntechOpen.
van ’t Riet, Jonathan (2022): “De stilte voor de storm? Een onderzoek naar tolerantie jegens politiek geweld in Nederland”. In: Mens & Maatschappij 97 (4): 344-371.
Roosma, Femke (2019): “Wie verdient nog onze solidariteit?: Veranderingen in solidariteitsgevoelens met ouderen, zieken en gehandicapten, werklozen en immigranten in de 21ste eeuw”. In: Mens en maatschappij 94 (4): 483-505. https://doi.org/10.5117/MEM2019.4.006.ROOS .
Rusu, Horațiu (2021): “Solidaritatea socială în Romania contemporană: absență, declin sau nici una dintre ele?”. In: Atlasul valorilor sociale. România la 100 de ani, edited by Bogdan Voicu, Horațiu Rusu and Claudiu D. Tufiș, 61-68. Cluj-Napoca: Presa Universitară Clujeană.
Voicu, Bogdan; Peral, Edurne Bartolome; Rusu, Horatiu; Rosta, Gergely; Comșa, Mircea; Vasile, Octavian-Marian; Coromina, Lluis and Tufis, Claudiu (2021): “COVID-19 and orientations towards solidarity: the cases of Spain, Hungary, and Romania”. In: European Societies 23 (sup1): 887-904. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2020.1852439