It’s been 20 years since the freshmen at our nation’s universities have been so liberal.
That’s according to UCLA’s annual national survey of freshmen, which found that not only did more freshman identify themselves as liberal, a record number reported no religious preference and increased political activism.
The fall 2001 survey, conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, found that 29.9 percent of students entering four-year colleges and universities characterize their political views as “liberal” or “far left,” which is considerably more than the 20.7 percent who consider themselves “conservative” or “far right.”
The overall percentage of today’s “liberal” freshmen increased from 27.7 percent last year and 21.0 percent in 1981, but is still lower than the all-time high of 40.9 percent recorded in 1971. Most students labeled themselves “middle of the road” (49.5 percent, down from 51.9 percent last year).
Linda Sax, UCLA education professor and director of the study, said the results could be due to several reasons.
“A person’s upbringing impacts their political beliefs, and these kids’ parents come from a generation that had a proclivity toward liberalism,” Sax said. Sax also said that an increasingly liberal media has probably played an influential role.
Dr. Kenneth Holland, political science professor at U of M, said he wasn’t surprised by the survey results at all. He said the majority of his students express a definite liberal bent toward lifestyle and social issues.
“I think libertarian is a more accurate definition of my students,” said Holland. “Libertarians are for freedom from all kinds of restrictions and government regulations.”
Dr. William Hixon, U of M professor of political science, said he can’t agree.
“That trend just hasn’t been a reality for me,” Hixon said. “Of course, I’ve not noticed a reverse trend either.”
Holland said even if the survey results are truly indicative of the attitudes of students today, there’s no reason to think the population in general is becoming more liberal. First of all, it’s been statistically proven that as people grow older they become more conservative.
“I think the U.S. is becoming more bipolar. Those in college are more liberal, and the Christian right is more conservative and more organized,” said Holland. “We’re having a culture war in this country,”
Nonetheless, nearly half the respondents identified themselves as moderates. Holland said the same reason freshmen may be hesitant to declare themselves part of a political party is probably the same reason they are increasingly more apt to report no religious preference.
“They’re uncomfortable with labels,” he said. “They’re independent and want to make up their own minds.”
An all-time high of 15.8 percent of students reported no religious preference, compared with 14.9 percent last year and 6.6 percent in 1966.
Students also reported being more politically active. The percentage of students who feel that it is essential for them to keep up to date with political events also rose, from last year’s record low of 28.1 percent, to 31.4 percent in 2001.
Sax said the institute has attributed this trend to the heated 2000 presidential elections.
She said that by far the most alarming result was that students reported an all time low sense of health and wellness. The percentage of freshman who rate their physical health above average or in the highest 10 percent reached an all time low of 55.2 percent.
