The Demographical Factors Affecting Religious Tolerance of Youths in Malaysia

The purpose of this research is to study demographical factors affecting religious tolerance of youths in Malaysia. Religion is considered as one of the most sensitive issues that may trigger conflict among society as it involves human belief and faith. For the society to be equipped with respect towards other religious systems, religious tolerance should be nurtured from the early age. Hence, research on religious tolerance from various demographical backgrounds of youth should be given recognition. This research aims to identify the level of youth religious tolerance in terms of perception, attitude, willingness, experience and behaviour, and the difference in the respondents’ demographic background. The methodology used cross-sectional approach with a quantitative research done by survey. The research samples were randomly selected by a stratified random sampling involving 500 youths aged 15 to 24. The questionnaire was using research instruments on socio-religious tolerance developed by Ahmad Tarmizi (2010) to measure religious tolerance. Data collected were analysed by descriptive and statistical inference using SPSS 22.0 software. The findings show that the respondents are religiously tolerant. They have positive perception and attitude, and they are willing to be religiously tolerant. However, their experience and behaviour levels towards religious tolerance are moderate. The demographical factors that show significant difference are gender, ethnicity, religion, types of ethnicities in the neighbourhood and number of acquaintances from other ethnicities. The implication of this research, there is a need for Malaysians to be more open to daily socialisation and inter-racial interaction.