Deliberative Thinking Increases Tolerance of Minority Group Practices: Testing a Dual-Process Model of Tolerance

Public Significance Statement These studies collectively reveal that deliberative thinking increases tolerance of contested practices in society, and this occurs regardless of whether people reflect on pragmatic or principled reasons for accepting such contested practices. Such an understanding provides us with a useful strategy for how to promote acceptance of differences in societies comprising cultural, religious, and ideological diversity. Tolerance of minority beliefs and practices is typically considered a critical ingredient for an equal and diverse society. Psychologically, people can use both intuitive and deliberative cognitive sources to make tolerance judgments. Following dual-process theories, this research uses survey experiments to manipulate intuitive versus deliberative thinking to examine whether deliberative thinking increases tolerance of minority practices. Across three studies using nationally representative samples of Dutch majority members (N = 1,811), we find that deliberative thinking increases tolerance, regardless of whether people deliberate over pragmatic or principled reasons for accepting contested minority practices and social changes. These findings are similar across a range of minority practices and robust across gender, age, educational level, and political orientation.