Washington – A majority of U.S. college students say religion is important in their lives and that they’re concerned about the country’s moral direction, a finding that could influence the way they vote in upcoming elections, according to a Harvard University Institute of Politics poll released Tuesday.
In a telephone survey of 1,200 American college students, seven out of 10 said religion was somewhat or very important in their lives, and one in four said they’d become more spiritual since entering college. Fifty-four percent said they were concerned about the moral direction of the country.
Students who were surveyed said abortion policy, stem-cell research and gay marriage provoked questions of morality. In a finding that surprised the institute, 50 percent said the U.S. government’s response to Hurricane Katrina raised questions of morality.
Sixty-two percent of students who identified themselves as Republicans said religion was losing its influence on American society, while 54 percent of Democrats said it was increasing its influence. Most agreed, however, that a candidate’s religion wouldn’t affect how they voted.
American college students could play a major role in upcoming elections. Eighteen- to 24-year-olds cast 11.6 million votes in the 2004 presidential election, 3 million more than in 2000, according to the institute. It also found that:
College students’ opinions about potential 2008 presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and John McCain, R-Ariz., are split. Forty percent said they’d vote for Clinton, and another 40 percent favored McCain. The remaining 20 percent said they were unsure which candidate they liked best.
Only one-third approved of the job President Bush was doing, while 59 percent disapproved. Eight percent were unsure.
Fifty-nine percent said they thought the country was on the “wrong track,” 30 percent said it was on the right track and 11 percent said they didn’t know.
Seventy-two percent said the United Nations, not the U.S., should lead in international crises and resolve conflicts.
