The objective of this paper was to test the veracity of the conventional wisdom of Lebanese Sunni perceptions which states that they perceive members of the other confessional groups negatively, avoid contact with them, and look with disfavour at the Lebanese state. The data, which were collected between November 1989 and April 1990, come from a nationwide survey that comprised 500 male Lebanese Sunnis. The findings disclose that, with the exception of Sunni negative views on the Shi'is, they are not markedly hostile to Lebanon's other major ethno-religious groups. The Sunni propensity for inter-group cooperation, while symmetrical with their inter-group perceptions, is conspicuously more positive in its intensity. Finally, and in sharp contrast with the conventional proposition, the Sunnis exhibit very strong support for an independent and centralised Lebanese state.
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