A 2021 research article titled “Religious Diversity and Social Prejudice” thoroughly explores the topics of religious diversity and social prejudice, focusing on high school students in Semarang City. The study, conducted by Dr. Turnomo Rahardjo, M.Si, a lecturer in the Department of Communication Science at Universitas Diponegoro, aims to measure social prejudice among students in their interactions with people of different religions based on gender. Social prejudice against religious groups can hinder human development, even though diversity can be a valuable social asset.

This study employs the theory of social prejudice, which explains that prejudice is a negative attitude toward a particular group without sufficient evidence. This prejudice is expressed through negative labeling and a sense of superiority over other groups. A survey method involving 81 high school respondents was used to collect data. The results showed that 13.6% of respondents spoke negatively about people of different religions, and 9.9% labeled them negatively. These findings indicate a lack of religious tolerance literacy among the younger generation.

In social interactions, the majority of students did not speak negatively or avoid contact with people of different religions. However, there remains a small proportion that holds prejudices, such as giving negative nicknames and avoiding interactions. This demonstrates that social prejudice still exists, albeit in small numbers. Prejudices and stereotypes learned early in life can hinder cross-cultural communication and reinforce prejudices.

This research highlights the importance of increasing religious tolerance literacy among the younger generation to reduce social prejudice and leverage religious diversity as a valuable social asset for human development.

Source:

Rahardjo, T., Sulistyani, H. D., & Rahmiaji, L. R. (2022, September). Religious Diversity and Social Prejudice. In ICISPE 2021: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Social and Political Enquiries, ICISPE 2021, 14-15 September 2021, Semarang, Indonesia (p. 334). European Alliance for Innovation.

Author Information:

Dr. Turnomo Rahardjo, M.Si., is a lecturer in the Department of Communication Science who has a bachelor’s degree from Universitas Diponegoro and master’s and doctoral degrees from Universitas Indonesia.