Abstract

One of the central issues in dealing with diversity is the role of national values. Do shared national values hinder diversity or can they play a role in supporting diversity? Are certain national values more congruent than others with support for diversity? This survey examined the relationship between two sets of national founding values: the American principles of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and the Canadian principles of “peace, order and good government.” Canadian students rated the relationship between each of these sets of principles and other values related to tolerance for diversity such as conformity and personal and social experimentation. The results suggest that most respondent believe the more individualistic values of the U.S. should better support diversity. These results are discussed in the context of findings by Adams (2003) that show Canadians to be more supportive of diverse groups. This apparent contradiction is reconciled by a discussion of the importance of shared community values as the basis of tolerance for differences.