This thesis assesses how Direct Democracy influences Political Tolerance. It focuses on five Western democracies, i.e. Australia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand. While the original...Show moreThis thesis assesses how Direct Democracy influences Political Tolerance. It focuses on five Western democracies, i.e. Australia, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand. While the original hypothesis that Political Tolerance is more likely in more direct democracies due to a learning effect could not be confirmed, it reveals that the issues at hand appear to be much more complex. The findings indicate that, given the issues voted on are not too diverse, respondents living in more direct democracies are more likely to allow their least-liked group to hold public office. This might indeed be due to a greater likelihood of being exposed to democratic norms, by having alternative channels to resolve conflict and by having the option to exercise a certain control over what is decided at system-level.Show less