Tolerance is important for inclusive, diverse, and democratic societies. Yet recent global developments—ranging from rising nationalist movements to debates over immigration and multiculturalism—suggest a shift away from tolerance in societies around the world. Against this backdrop, schools remain crucial spaces where youth can encounter diversity and develop attitudes that shape future democratic participation. This paper builds on earlier analysis of data from the 2009 and 2016 cycles of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), which showed increases in students’ endorsement of equal rights for all ethnic groups, in all countries participating in both cycles (Beyer & Brese, 2024). The release of the 2022 ICCS data allows an analysis of whether these trends have continued, stalled, or even reversed in today’s more polarized political climate. This paper also extends the scope of tolerance to attitudes towards immigrants and gender equality. Within the global context of rising anti-immigrant discourse and challenges to diversity and multicultural policies, this paper tries to shed light on the potential of education systems in shaping tolerant attitudes. This paper addresses four research questions: 1. How have tolerant attitudes of secondary school students developed between 2009, 2016, and 2022? 2. How are classroom composition and specific civic activities performed within the school related to tolerant attitudes? Do certain activities matter more than others? 3. Are there differences in tolerant attitudes for different aspects of diversity (ethnicity, gender, migration experience)? 4. Can we discern differences in environment, context or policy from education systems with contrasting trajectories? For eleven countries—Bulgaria, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Slovenia, and Sweden—participating in all cycles of ICCS (2009, 2016, 2022) we will use linear regression modeling to predict students’ endorsement of equal rights for all ethnic groups, and attitudes towards gender equality and immigrants. As indicators of opportunities to experience diversity, we include classroom composition and a set of civic activities in school. Regarding the broader policy context, we will look into several country-level indicators (e.g., multicultural integration policies and political discourse) assembled from secondary sources. Preliminary findings show stalling and even declining levels of tolerance. Not all activities appear equally influential. Participation in environmental initiatives is consistently associated with higher tolerance across contexts. In contrast, activities such as volunteering or student government show wide cross-national variation—effective in some settings but not others—implying that how these activities are framed and implemented matters.

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