Intolerance, including that towards gays and lesbians, is damaging for growth and jobs as well as a nation's international reputation. The information comes from several recent studies, including the mammoth Global Attitudes Project, which interviewed 88,000 people in 44 countries. The Project found a statistical correlation between tolerance of homosexuality and better than expected economic performance. “For potential investors, domestic or foreign, particular attitudes ought therefore to sound alarms,” reports the Financial Times. Studies in the US by Richard Florida, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, discovered that the most gay-friendly cities in the US were also the wealthiest and creative places to live, work and do business. “Professor Florida's studies showed regions that combine a high quality of life with a respect for and accommodation of diversity are most likely to enjoy the greatest success in attracting the sort of talent required to fuel growth in the new economy,” writes Mike Moore in this week's National Business Review.