from RUSSELL ADADEVOH in Accra, Ghana
Ghana Bureau
ACCRA, (CAJ News) – A MAJORITY of Africans expressed tolerance towards people of different ethnicities, religions, political affiliations and nationalities.
However, only one in four feel comfortable living next door to someone in a same-sex relationship.
This is according to the latest Afrobarometer Pan-Africa Profile reveals.
While majorities say they trust other groups of people at least “somewhat,” only relatives enjoy “a lot” of trust from a majority of respondents and nearly half of respondents express little or no trust in people from other ethnic and religious backgrounds.
The report was released in Ghana, based on 53 444 face-to-face interviews in 39 African countries.
Overall, Africans express a strong attachment to their national identities, but a majority considers their ethnic identities at least equally important.
On average across 39 countries, at least eight in 10 Africans express tolerant attitudes toward people of different ethnicities (89 percent), different religions (85 percent), different political affiliations (82 percent) and different nationalities (80 percent).
Only one-fourth (24 percent) say the same about people in same-sex relationships.
Comparing regions, North Africa consistently ranks at or near the bottom in tolerance toward social differences, while Central and West Africa rank at the top.
– CAJ News