PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Strengthening ethnic tolerance among the youth involves educating them about the cultural differences and issues of interethnic relations through the mainstream news media. It is predicted that exposure to public affairs news would sensitize the youth to the complexity and challenges of living in a multiethnic society and accordingly enhance their level of ethnic tolerance. A total of 2,906 youths aged between 15 to 25 years participated in a survey. The survey observed varying levels of ethnic tolerance with many of the respondents in the moderate and high category. The respondents scored better in the cognitive and attitudinal component compared to the behavioural dimension of ethnic tolerance. The respondents also vary in their level of exposure to public affairs news with six in every ten being in the moderate category. Regression analysis showed that exposure to public affairs news, cognitive and attitudinal component of ethnic tolerance are significant predictors and accounted for 16.5 percent of the variance in the behavioural component of ethnic tolerance. Cognitive component of ethnic tolerance is a better predictor, followed by attitudinal component, and exposure to public affairs news. This paper discusses the implication of the findings in relation to nation building.