[Air-l] Internet Users More Tolerant?

[Jennifer Stromer-Galley]

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports a study by John Robinson that
suggests Internet users are more tolerant of diverse viewpoints. (Chronicle
article link below.)
 
I find this study and its conclusions to be very curious. Why are people who
use the Internet more than 10 hours a week more likely to be tolerant of
diversity than those who are not online? Is tolerance related to some larger
psychological trait? Is there something about this technology that tolerant
people are drawn to use it? Is there some demographic factor not accounted
for in their analysis that would make the finding disappear?  
 
The write-up of the actual study is:
http://www.webuse.umd.edu/webshop/resources/Diversity%20DivideWP-Alan.pdf
 
~Jenny Stromer-Galley 
Annenberg School for Communication
University of Pennsylvania
 
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