Is it better for a country if its people shared similar customs or traditions? In many ways that question goes to the heart of many debates we have in this country, right? The people who think the country is going to hell in a hand-cart usually do so because they’re worried about people who might look or act somewhat differently to them.

So a bunch of scientists decided to do a study asking that question: “It is better for a country if almost everyone shares the same customs and traditions?” for Americans and Europeans.

The result (pdf) is somewhat surprising. Seen as somewhat insular and inward looking, the Americans actually come out the best - with less than 30% agreeing that cultural homogeneity was a good thing.

So you’d think that the more open a country to immigration, as America is, the more open they are to diversity. Well, Switzerland comes next, and then Sweden, and then Germany (!!!). UK is way down the list.

See this chart

In many ways this also shatters the theory, advanced a lot by David Goodhart of Prospect magazine, that a culturally homogeneous country such as Sweden may want to preserve that sense of identity. It actually looks like the Swedes are more open minded than the Brits on diversity. Who would have thought eh?

(via the Monkey Cage)

There’s also a chart on who wants religious diversity, again the results are very curious.