Exploring Political Polarization Between Opponents and Supporters of Ruling Parties Following the 2019 Lebanese Uprising

ABSTRACT The 17 October 2019 uprising in Lebanon marked a pivotal period of economic crisis and discontent with the ruling elite. We examined social cohesion post‐uprising by exploring political polarization between “anti‐ruling parties” citizens and “partisan/unaligned” citizens, in two surveys with a community sample (Study 1, N = 357) and a nationally representative sample (Study 2, N = 1200). Across both studies, “anti‐ruling parties” respondents exhibited lower institutional trust, lower sectarianism, and greater support for a secular system compared to “partisan/unaligned” citizens. Conversely, no differences emerged surrounding economic discontent. Importantly, disenchantment with the status quo emerged across political lines. (De)mobilization tendencies varied. In Study 1 (2020), with lingering revolutionary hope, “anti‐ruling parties” respondents showed stronger system‐challenging collective action orientations. In Study 2 (2022), amid counter‐revolutionary gains, disenchantment with October 17 groups emerged, with “anti‐ruling parties” respondents showing lower voting intention, greater migration tendencies, and less readiness to use arms.