Comparison of Turkish and Iranian University Students’ Forgiveness, Tolerance and Happiness Levels

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the levels of forgiveness, tolerance and happiness of university students in terms of different variables (gender, age, marital status and program) in Turkey and Iran. A total of 1234 (797 female and 437 male) university students, between 18 and 23 years old, who were studying at Hacettepe University and Ondokuz Mayıs University in Turkey and Tehran University and Tabriz University in Iran, participated in the study. They completed three data collection instruments: the Oxford Happiness Scale (OMO), Tolerance Scale (TO) and Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS). The analysis of the data was performed with the SPSS 23 statistical program. The results of the statistical analyses showed that the happiness and tolerance levels of university students in Turkey and Iran differ according to gender, age, marital status and educational status variables. However, when the same variables were considered, there was no significant difference in forgiveness levels. Finally, the findings were discussed in reference to previous studies.