THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 9, 1995 TAG: 9501090072
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 112 lines
In the '60s, they were known as raving liberals, eager to grow their hair long, buck the system and end the Vietnam War.
In the '80s, many joined the Reagan revolution, becoming button-down conservatives in the search for personal and national prosperity.
Now, college students simply don't care, says a survey released today.
UCLA's annual freshman survey, which polls 230,000 first-year students from colleges across the country, found political interest at an all-time low in the survey's 29-year history.
Only 32 percent of the freshmen who entered school last fall said ``keeping up with political affairs'' was an important goal - down from 38 percent in 1993 and 58 percent in 1966.
Even fewer like to debate politics. Sixteen percent said they frequently discuss it, down from 19 percent in 1993. The peak was 30 percent in 1968.
At Virginia Wesleyan College and Old Dominion University, students last week pleaded guilty to political apathy.
``I don't care the least bit about politics,'' said Julie Christman, a Wesleyan freshman from Warminster, Pa. ``It's something completely foreign to me.''
James Brooks, another Wesleyan freshman from Stockbridge, Ga., is one of the exceptions.
He can rattle off the differences between House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who used to be Brooks' congressman, and moderate Republican Arlen Specter, a senator from Pennsylvania. But he admits that most students ``don't have the foggiest idea'' about the Republicans' ``Contract With America.''
Brooks says political debate sometimes erupts in class. But ``as soon as you leave the classroom, it totally cuts off.''
For Stephen Mannix, a junior from Chesapeake who is president of ODU's College Republicans, the lack of interest makes his job tougher. ``If there's not a high-profile race, it's a whole lot harder to get people involved,'' he said.
The group has 70 members, 15 or 20 of whom are diehards, he said. That's a lot lower than membership in the '80s. But it's better than the College Democrats are doing.
They're not even registered with the university as a student group anymore, ODU Vice President Dana D. Burnett said.
Christman blames her parents for her apathy. ``It's due to the fact I was raised in a non-political home,'' she said. ``My parents never voted; they never discussed it.''
Others say it goes deeper than that. Mannix thinks students feel there's less at stake for them: ``They don't have jobs where they pay a lot in taxes. They don't have families and children, so they're not worrying about kids and the school system.
``They're not really interested in long-term stuff; they're interested in the here and now, and me.''
Linda Sax, associate director of UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, which conducts the survey, said the students' disillusionment mirrors adults' dissatisfaction, which toppled Democrats across the country last November.
But it's not a partisan thing. ``Ever since I've been growing up, every person gets into office by promising change,'' Brooks said. `` `This is the time for change.' It seems like every one of them does a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but nothing major.''
The negativism of campaigns and the media doesn't help either. John Haynes, a Wesleyan freshman from Virginia Beach, saw it the other day in the hailstorm of attention devoted to Connie Chung's interview with Gingrich's mother.
``They didn't focus on the point that the Republicans took control of Congress for the first time in 40 years; that was a historic thing,'' Haynes said. ``What's more exciting is when there's name-calling going on.''
When students have to state their political positions, they're almost split down the middle, according to the UCLA study. Fifty-three percent classify themselves as middle of the road, 25 percent as liberal and 22 percent as conservative.
In what appears a throwback to the '60s, their support for legalization of marijuana rose for the fifth straight year, to 32 percent. But reflecting the law-and-order '90s, support for abolishing capital punishment dropped to 20 percent, the lowest point in the survey's history. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Julie Christman, Virginia Wesleyan College
Photos
Virginia Wesleyan freshman James Brooks of Georgia says most
students ``don't have the foggiest idea'' about the Republicans'
``Contract With America.''
The new poll says negativity in the media contributes to apathy.
John Haynes, a Virginia Wesleyan freshman from Virginia Beach,
criticized the attention given to Connie Chung's interview with Newt
Gingrich's mother.
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OTHER FINDINGS
The UCLA survey also reported:
Grade inflation rose. The proportion of students who got A
averages in high school reached an all-time high of 28 percent. The
number reporting C averages dropped to an all-time low of 16
percent.
Student interest in medicine reached a record high, with 9
percent saying they hoped to become doctors.
Students are increasingly nervous about financing their
education. Nineteen percent - a record high - said they weren't sure
they'd have enough money to finish school.
Students are smoking more and drinking less. The proportion of
students who reported smoking frequently rose for the sixth time in
the past seven years, to 13 percent. Fifty-three percent - an
all-time low - said they drink beer frequently. In 1981, 75 percent
said they drank regularly.
KEYWORDS: SURVEY POLL COLLEGE STUDENT POLITICS by CNB