Perceptions of Difference: Subjective and Objective Measures of Value Diversity

To what extent to people living in different parts of a state believe that they hold different values from those in other regions? This paper explores this question using a large (n=10000) survey of Canadians to examine subjective perceptions of value diversity. It then explores the relationship between perceptions of difference and objective measures of value diversity before identifying the types of respondents most likely to perceive difference, and most likely to be accurate in their perceptions. It argues that national identity and a sense of being rooted in regional grievances with respect to state-level narratives about politics are most likely to prompt perceptions of different. It then explores the direction of error, linking this to regional discourse about distinct values. Using a booster sample of visible minority Canadians and new immigrants to Canada it ends by examining the transmission of perceptions of difference.