A new study finds that college students who build diverse friendships are likely to develop positive attitudes towards all world views.
The most recent findings from the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS) explore how close friendships with people who come from different religious backgrounds, political ideologies and guiding perspectives can impact interfaith development and attitudes.
In the report “Friendships Matter: The Role of Peer Relationships in Interfaith Learning and Development,” researchers found that gaining an interworldview friendship can potentially double the percentage of first-year college students who highly appreciate the worldview of a new friend. Researchers also discovered a long-term positive impact in which students with interworldview friends can develop positive attitudes towards others with all worldviews.
“We are living in a particularly polarized time in history,” said Dr. Alyssa N. Rockenbach, professor of higher education and alumni distinguished graduate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development at North Carolina State University and one of the authors of “Friendships Matter.”
“The IDEALS project is intended to shed light on how higher education might help bridge divides we see in our society right now. Our goal, ultimately, is to understand how students’ experiences in college—whether in class, through their co-curricular engagements or through relationships with peers—shape their ability to cooperate across religious and worldview differences,” said Rockenbach, co-principal investigator for IDEALS, which was launched in 2015.
The report notes that having a diverse peer group enables college students to understand and appreciate other cultures and reduces prejudice. Sustained interaction over time deepens the understanding and investment in diversity.
Rev. Jim Burklo, senior associate dean of religious life at University of Southern California (USC), said fostering interfaith engagement is a key part of his work. Given the large size of the student population at USC and the substantial presence of international students, there is incredible religious diversity.
