Sept. 11, the war on terrorism, the threat of war with Iraq and a lack-luster economy have motivated college freshmen to become more politically aware, according to a recent study conducted by the University of California- Los Angeles.
According to the survey, for the second consecutive year student’s commitment to “keeping up to date with political affairs” increased. Currently 32.9 percent of freshmen view keeping up with politics as a very important or essential life goal.
“While the current rate of political interest remains far lower than the high of 60.3 percent reported in 1966, this two-year upswing likely reflects two events that re-ignited America’s interest in politics, the heavily contested 2000 presidential election and the events of Sept. 11, 2001,” said Linda Sax, UCLA education professor and director of the survey.
Freshmen at The University of Memphis, some of whom were included in the survey, appear to be more interested in political affairs and key political issues since 9/11, according to Janann Sherman, history professor at The U of M.
“In the ‘60’s students had the Vietnam War and the imminent draft,” Sherman said. “Those events sparked student interest in political issues and I think we are seeing a parallel now with 9/11 and the threat of war with Iraq.”
The impact of 9/11 and other recent events, according to Sax, is reflected in the political orientations of incoming freshman as well as their support of key political issues.
“This year’s survey data show that 29.9 percent of the students surveyed characterized their political views as ‘liberal’ or ‘far left,’ the highest percent in two decades,” Sax said.
A record-high number of students support military spending. When asked whether federal military spending should be increased, 45 percent of students agreed “somewhat” or “strongly.” This number more than doubled the level of support expressed among students in 1993, the last time the question was included in the survey.
A one-year shift to more conservative views of key political issues is also evident on the topic of gun control.
In 2002, record-low numbers of freshmen agreed “somewhat” or “strongly” that “the Federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns.” Although more than three-fourths of the students surveyed still support gun control, overall agreement with this item showed the largest one-year decline.
Just as terrorism and the threat of war seemed to influence this year’s freshmen, so did the economy. The percentage of students who reported some or major concern that they will not have enough money to pay for college rose from 64.6 percent in 2001 to 65.3 percent.
The percentage of freshmen who said there was a very good chance they would get a job to help pay for college rose to an all-time high of 47.1 percent this year, compared with 44.8 percent last year.
The UCLA survey, now it its 37th year, is the nation’s longest-standing and most comprehensive assessment of attitudes and plans. Conducted in association with the American Council on Education, the survey serves as a resource for higher education researchers throughout the United States.
