ABSTRACT
One of the most widely discussed, politically sensitive, topics of recent decades has been that of “societal modernization.” No consensus exists as to a definition of modernization, but it is generally expressed in terms of socioeconomic development—increased literacy, greater industrialization and urbanization, higher living standards, and so forth. Libya is located in the center of the northern section of Africa. Its area is 685,000 square miles, more than seven times the size of the United Kingdom. Many countries have what are known as five- or ten-year development plans. Each plan has certain goals to be attained, goals that are related to the socioeconomic development of the country. Libya’s first five-year socioeconomic development plan was introduced in 1964. The data employed in this study were collected in personal interviews with a nationwide, representative sample of 1,540 Libyans in early 1978.
