The Political Values of Lebanese Maronite College Students

The objective of this article was to identify the political values of Lebanese Maronite college students. The data come from a nationwide survey that covered the entire university system in Lebanon during winter 1988. The examination focused on five exploratory variables related to the pursuit of long-term career opportunities, distinct group consciousness, intergroup relations, nationalistic tendencies, and democratic orientation. The findings point to overwhelming preference for pursuit of work and residence outside Lebanon, positive intragroup solidarity and cohesion, and strong attachment to Maronite leaders and political symbols along with a feeling of distinction from all other Lebanese groups. Respondents manifested negative attitudes toward most Lebanese religious groups, particularly the Muslim. Most expressed a strong sense of Lebanese nationalism and were eager to identify themselves with the Phoenician and Greco-Roman heritage. Finally, the responses yielded low marks for the democraticness scale.