University Students' National Identity and Its Role in Dealing With the Coronavirus Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Introduction

Saudi Arabia is witnessing remarkable development in all domains. The education sector is one of the most important areas where the government of Saudi Arabia is placing attention in order to attain sustainable-development goals. Through education, it is possible to invest in human capital by developing and improving an individual’s skills, this process also makes people effective members of their society. Additionally, education can help preserve national identity; therefore, universities are one of the most important educational institutions that instill values in the minds of young people: emphasizing loyalty and belonging, consolidating national constants, and strengthening identity.

Saudi Vision 2030 was developed to emphasize the importance of strengthening national identity through the vital community axis, which calls for the consolidation of Islamic values and pride in belonging to the homeland. Therefore, forming a national identity was very important for individuals, especially in light of the huge technological and information revolution. According to Al-Harbi and Al-Mahdi (2016), this massive technological change was considered to be a serious threat to individuals’ identity through the decline of the Arabic language, the feeling of alienation, and the weakening of national belonging. The need for national affiliation and loyalty increases during times of crisis because there are solidarity and interdependence between the members of society and the government so that everyone can overcome the crisis. Jamil (2016) stressed that cooperation in times of crisis, especially between a leader and subordinates, helps to solve problems and to reduce and control the aggravation of the crisis. Abdelaal (2020) saw the Coronavirus crisis as a test for governments and educational institutions to reveal their strength in dealing with the crisis and its various effects on all levels. Federico, Zavala, and Baran (2020) confirmed that national identity and social solidarity have a major role in overcoming COVID-19. According Segatti and Guglielmi (2016), the crisis revealed the weakness of European identity. For example, there was no support among Europeans to find common solutions so that the European Union could address the financial and economic situation because very few people felt belonging and loyalty to their European identity. Therefore, there is a need to know the role of national identity among Taif University’s students who faced the Coronavirus pandemic.