Is the Positive Effect of Education on Ethnic Tolerance a Method Artifact? A Multifactorial Survey Experiment on Social Desirability Bias in Sweden

Abstract Educated individuals are believed to be more tolerant towards ethnic minorities—a finding widely inferred from standard survey items. We propose a new approach that helps mitigate the risk of socially desirability bias (SDB), using a multifactorial survey experiment with name-based vignette dimensions. The experiment is strategically inserted into a question about a social dilemma not related to ethnicity. By embedding our experiment into an established survey—the Swedish part of the European Values Survey—we show that individuals with a high level of education are more tolerant towards ethnic minorities, even under a lower risk of SDB. The study strengthens findings in prior research and supports the hypothesis that education can further ethnic tolerance.