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It's Good To Talk: Talk, Disagreement and Tolerance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2008

C. J. PATTIE  and
R. J. JOHNSTON
C. J. PATTIE
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield
R. J. JOHNSTON
Affiliation:
School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
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Abstract

Open political discussion between citizens is a cornerstone of democratic theory and contextual accounts of political behaviour. It provides both a means through which individuals can discover what their peers think and a forum within which they can rationalize, explain and perhaps modify their own opinions. Much previous research has focused on the potential of political conversation as a means of influencing others and of converting holders of minority views to the opinions of the majority. However, theoretical accounts of political conversation also stress its potential impact on more systemic attitudes towards democracy, including the development of tolerance for divergent views and lifestyles. The article provides an evaluation of these potential effects in the context of recent British politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , October 2008 , pp. 677 - 698
Copyright
© 2008 Cambridge University Press

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