world values survey

As Americans, it is nearly impossible to escape the endless stories of racism in the news. We live in a country that was born on the backs of slaves and is still a place where real equality is still an elusive dream. Racism is an undeniable part of our society, but how does America compare to the rest of the world?

According to a 2020 study by the World Values Survey, Americans are among the most tolerant people in the world.

The World Value Survey is a global network of scientists and researchers based in Sweden who study changing values and their impact on social and political life. The group's researchers asked participants in more than 80 countries what kind of person they'd want as a neighbor.

Those who responded that they wouldn't want "people of a different race" were deemed racially intolerant. The map below depicts how the 80 countries responded to the question. The countries that are blue are the most tolerant. Countries marked red are the least.

To see a larger version click here.

The good news is that even though America has problems with race, it's actually better than a lot of places. America, along with most of South America, Australia, and Europe are among the most tolerant places on the planet.

The map shows that Eastern Europe and Asia are less tolerant than America with The Middle East and North Africa ranking among the least tolerant areas of the globe. It appears as though much of Africa was not polled, so it's unclear how those countries rank in comparison.

America takes pride in its attempt to be a diverse, inclusive melting pot and is constantly at war with itself for falling short of that goal. Even though we are one of the most tolerant places on Earth, most of us believe that we can and should do better. But, as the map shows, even as a society that struggles with tolerance, we've come a lot farther than most.