A Survey of Maronite Christian Socio-Political Attitudes in Postwar Lebanon

Abstract

The objective of this article was to identify the political views, group behavior and attitudes toward inter-communal relations of Lebanese Maronite respondents in postwar Lebanon. The data come from a cross-sectional survey of 561 Lebanese Christian Maronites who were interviewed during November 2000. The examination focused on five exploratory variables related to ethnic group identification, inter-communal relations, views on political confessionalism, position on the Taif Accord and preferred political arrangement. The findings point to positive intra-group cohesiveness and introjection, strong attachment to Maronite leaders and at the same time dislike for some of them, with a feeling of pride and distinctiveness from all other Lebanese groups. Respondents manifested unfavorable attitudes toward other Lebanese religious groups, particularly the Muslims. A good number endorsed the introduction of a secular code and even full-scale secularization. Finally, the responses yielded low support for the Taif Accord because of its negative political repercussions on the community and uncontested preference for an alternative that guarantees Maronite political primacy.