By Jillian Orlando
College students have an increasing interest in politics, according to a recent Chronicle of Higher Education study. But does the same hold true for Northeastern students?
The Chronicle of Higher Education surveyed 282,549 first-year students at 437 colleges and universities to gauge political interest and awareness on U.S. campuses. The results of the survey showed that student interest in politics has drastically increased, bouncing back from an all-time low in 2000. The September 11 attacks are considered one of the main factors for the increased awareness and concern.
Of the students surveyed by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 32.9 percent said that following politics is considered “very important,” as opposed to 28.1 during the 2000 presidential election, which discouraged many young Americans with the ensuing controversy over “hanging or pregnant chads.”
The survey was conducted for the first time in 1966 and yielded the highest results in its more than 30 years: 60.3 percent of students nationwide felt that following politics was very important.
“I haven’t noticed any resurgence of interest in politics,” said Northeastern history professor Ballard Campbell.
“These interests, I think, seem to develop later on in life,” said journalism professor Nicholas Daniloff, who admitted that even his own interest in politics became much more developed during his years in graduate school.
The Northeastern News surveyed 100 NU students to see how the Huskies fit into the equation. Sixty-four percent of the NU students polled felt that political issues and current events are important and should be paid attention to, compared to the national average of 32.9.
“We have to be in today’s day and age,” said Theresa Grenier, a middler journalism major. “Our world is changing every day for better or for worse and in order to be educated adults, we need to pay attention to what is going on around us.”
Students often explained that they chose to continue with the political party their family sides with.
There are also many students who prefer independent parties because their views do not necessarily mesh with Republicans or Democrats .
Only 65 percent of the students polled by the NU News knew the name of the Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney. Nearly all students are becoming increasingly aware of the situation with Iraq and the possibility of war, and there is a large population of Northeastern students opposed to such a war. Many people attribute the rising political awareness to the conflict with Iraq and the talk of reinstating the military draft.
“Wars do tend to stimulate people’s interest in politics,” said Campbell, but he has yet to see a response like the one he remembers seeing during the Vietnam War.
-News correspondent Lisa Kaczke also contributed to this report.
