The study attempts to investigate values, beliefs and attitudes of Turkish youth related to social and political events in today's world. More specifically, the study focuses on how Turkish students perceive and conceptualise macro problems like world peace, racism and environmental pollution, and what they hold onto for their solutions.

The sample of the study consists of 278 students from a high ranking university in Istanbul. The sample contains 115 Turkish students and 21 foreign students to serve as a reference group.

The instruments used in the study are:

1) Social Attitudes Instrument (developed and assessed for its psychometric characteristics by the researchers);

2) World Problems Checklist and Suggested Solutions (developed by the researchers);

3) Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Values Instrument.

The data are analysed to find the correspondence between students' concerns about the world problems and their values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. ANOVA results indicate minor differences between Turkish students and the foreign reference group in terms of their ratings of world problems, proposed solution activities, social attitudes and value scores. However, major differences are observed within the Turkish group, especially between groups with high aesthetic and religious values indicating that these two groups hold quite opposing views and show rather different profiles in terms of world problem and solution ratings as well as their social attitudes scores.

The results call for implementation of a "values education program" in secondary schools, in order to establish an atmosphere where differences among students are understood, accepted, appreciated and celebrated.

Dilek Ardaç, Deniz Albayrak-Kaymak & Emine Erktin: "Social and political attitudes of Turkish Youth: a bridge or a gap between East and West?". Paper presented at the First International Congress of Adolescentology, Assisi, Italy, October 22-24, 1993.

Key Words: Attitudes, Turkish youth, World peace, Racism, Values education program

Dilek Ardaç, Deniz Albayrak-Kaymak & Emine Erktin: Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey.