By Sheikha Suhaila Fahad Al-Sabah
Managing Editor
A recent research that I conducted showed that even though Kuwait has a high level of political participation, there were also substantial levels of political intolerance that ranged from medium to high level of intolerance.
The sample study, which involved 351 Kuwaiti citizens from a diverse group of the society, was aimed to evaluate political participation and its relationship with political bias in Kuwaiti society. The study sample was derived from a questionnaire containing primary data, a political participation scale, and a political intolerance scale.
The results indicated that 61.2 percent of the survey respondents had a high level of political participation, indicating that most Kuwaitis actively participated in the political process. The results of the survey also showed that 16 percent of the participants had a very high level of political intolerance.
The survey also showed that among the participants having a high level of political participation were those who had post graduate qualification, were single, and those Kuwaitis living in the Jahra governorate. Most of those expressing political intolerance were also found to be those with low incomes, having less than a university qualification, and were women.
A breakdown of intolerance showed that 35.8 percent of the respondents had a medium level of political intolerance, while 48.2 percent of the study sample said they had a low level of political intolerance. The study also showed a significant negative correlation between political participation and the cognitive component of political intolerance.