Students With Attitudes
During the first week of classes each fall, 350,000 incoming college freshmen are asked provocative questions on everything from sex and drugs to making the academic honor roll. The survey by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute generates a half-inch-thick volume--the American Freshman--that has become the bible for educators tracking the shifting attitudes of U.S. college students. This week, UCLA released the findings of the 32nd annual survey, highlighting a continuing trend of disengagement. Each new wave of college students seems less interested in politics and school work than its predecessors--but is no less materially oriented and ambitious. Here is a sampling of views expressed by the Class of 2001:
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Political Orientation is far left
All Institutions: 2.8
All 2-year Colleges: 3.5
All Black Colleges: 4.8
Public Universities: 2.3
Private Universities: 2.1
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Political Orientation is liberal
All Institutions: 21.6
All 2-year Colleges: 18.7
All Black Colleges: 29.12
Public Universities: 24.4
Private Universities: 27.6
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Political Orientation is middle of the road
All Institutions: 54.8
All 2-year Colleges: 60.3
All Black Colleges: 51.4
Public Universities: 51.1
Private Universities: 45.8
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Political Orientation is conservative
All Institutions: 19.3
All 2-year Colleges: 15.9
All Black Colleges: 12.8
Public Universities: 20.9
Private Universities: 23.1
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Political Orientation is far right
All Institutions: 1.5
All 2-year Colleges: 1.6
All Black Colleges: 1.9
Public Universities: 1.3
Private Universities: 1.4
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
The federal government is not doing enough to control environmental pollution
All Institutions: 80.7
All 2-year Colleges: 80.2
All Black Colleges: 83.5
Public Universities: 80.8
Private Universities: 80.5
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
The Federal government should raise taxes to reduce the deficit
All Institutions: 22.1
All 2-year Colleges: 19.2
All Black Colleges: 17.4
Public Universities: 25.8
Private Universities: 27.3
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
There is too much concern in the courts for the rights of criminals
All Institutions: 70.2
All 2-year Colleges: 68.9
All Black Colleges: 60.3
Public Universities: 71.3
Private Universities: 67.7
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Capital punishment should be abolished
All Institutions: 23.7
All 2-year Colleges: 22.5
All Black Colleges: 38.6
Public Universities: 23.6
Private Universities: 29.5
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Sex is OK if people like each other
All Institutions: 42.2
All 2-year Colleges: 47.5
All Black Colleges: 36.6
Public Universities: 41.5
Private Universities: 39.6
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
The activities of married women are best confined to the home and family
All Institutions: 25.4
All 2-year Colleges: 30.4
All Black Colleges: 32.1
Public Universities: 21.7
Private Universities: 18.7
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Marijuana should be legalized
All Institutions: 35.2
All 2-year Colleges: 39.2
All Black Colleges: 36.7
Public Universities: 34.0
Private Universities: 33.9
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
It is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships
All Institutions: 33.9
All 2-year Colleges: 39.1
All Black Colleges: 37.2
Public Universities: 28.2
Private Universities: 21.7
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Employers should be allowed to require drug testing of employees or job applicants
All Institutions: 78.4
All 2-year Colleges: 75.6
All Black Colleges: 83.4
Public Universities: 79.6
Private Universities: 77.4
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Just because a man thinks that a woman has “led him on” does not entitle him to have sex with her
All Institutions: 86.9
All 2-year Colleges: 82.1
All Black Colleges: 83.5
Public Universities: 90.5
Private Universities: 90.9
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
The federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns
All Institutions: 81.3
All 2-year Colleges: 77.5
All Black Colleges: 89.1
Public Universities: 83.7
Private Universities: 86.2
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
A national health care plan is needed to cover everybody’s medical costs
All Institutions: 72.4
All 2-year Colleges: 75.5
All Black Colleges: 82.9
Public Universities: 69.1
Private Universities: 66.9
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Racial discrimination is no longer a problem
All Institutions: 19.6
All 2-year Colleges: 23.3
All Black Colleges: 12.2
Public Universities: 17.8
Private Universities: 15.4
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about changes in our society
All Institutions: 32.8
All 2-year Colleges: 39.1
All Black Colleges: 33.2
Public Universities: 29.2
Private Universities: 24.5
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Wealthy people should pay a larger share of taxes than they do now
All Institutions: 63.4
All 2-year Colleges: 65.2
All Black Colleges: 63.9
Public Universities: 61.3
Private Universities: 56.0
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Racist and sexist speech should be prohibited
All Institutions: 63.9
All 2-year Colleges: 66.7
All Black Colleges: 61.8
Public Universities: 59.0
Private Universities: 58.3
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
People should not obey laws that violate their personal values
All Institutions: 37.1
All 2-year Colleges: 39.5
All Black Colleges: 39.5
Public Universities: 34.7
Private Universities: 35.4
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
The use of affirmative action in the college admissions process should be abolished
All Institutions: 50.0
All 2-year Colleges: 44.2
All Black Colleges: 28.8
Public Universities: 56.4
Private Universities: 60.4
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Percent saying they agree strongly or somewhat with the following:
Same-sex couples should have the same legal status as heterosexual couples
All Institutions: 49.8
All 2-year Colleges: 47.9
All Black Colleges: 44.7
Public Universities: 53.7
Private Universities: 59.0
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
Interest In Activism
Desire to clean up the environment
1986: 15.9%
1992: 33.6%
1997: 19.4%
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Desire to help promote racial understanding
1986: 27.2%
1992: 43.0%
1997: 31.0%
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Desire to influence social values
1986: 32.5%
1992: 43.3%
1997: 37.6%
Source: UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute
