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The Kids Are Alright… Sorta.
A newly released poll, carefully constructed and conducted, has some surprisingly good news about American college students’ views. The results are consistent with a 2019 Pew poll of the general public. The vast majority of videos and stories on college culture and students suggest very different answers than those offered by real students. The left has not won. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. No fate.
College Pulse Poll, June 2021: College Pulse offers marketing and research products linking American college students with businesses and non-profit organizations. Their June 2021 poll asked twenty-two questions on policy issues. The sample was drawn from over 400,000 enrolled students and carefully adjusted to reflect the actual demographics of the student population. See a brief, clear explanation of the survey design here.
Question 13: **Race-blind admissions**: colleges and universities would not be able to take a student’s race or ethnicity into account in their admissions decisions
All: 67% strongly support + 18% somewhat support = 85% support (+/- 2%)
White: 71% strongly support + 16% somewhat support = 87% support (+/- 2%)
Asian: 65% strongly support + 21% somewhat support = 86% support (+/- 7%)
Black: 55% strongly support + 20% somewhat support = 75% support (+/- 5%)
Hispanic/Latino: 66% strongly support + 22% somewhat support = 88% support (+/- 4%)
Two or more races: 62% strongly support + 14% somewhat support = 76% support (+/- 13%)
Not one racial group supports what they have all been taught they are supposed to believe and to advocate. Not even Black students, who have been told from all sides that they benefit from race-conscious admissions, come anywhere close to supporting the policies pushed by the left, from college administrations to the U.S. Department of Education, and even somewhat supported by the U.S. Supreme Court under the false flag of “diversity.”
Question 15: Universities should lose public funding if they prohibit students from freely expressing their opinions on campus when the students haven’t broken the law
All: 41% strongly support + 23% somewhat support = 64% support, 26% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 2%)
White: 45% strongly support + 24% somewhat support = 69% support, 22% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 2%)
Asian:36% strongly support + 32% somewhat support = 68% support, 23% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 7%)
Black: 31% strongly support + 23% somewhat support = 54% support, 33% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 5%)
Hispanic/Latino: 37% strongly support + 18% somewhat support = 55% support, 36% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 4%)
Two or more races: 62% strongly support + 14% somewhat support = 76% support, 31% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 13%)
This cuts directly against “microaggressions” and speech as violence. Every racial or ethnic identity group supports cutting off public funding to universities that impose speech codes. Further, strong majorities of both men and women support the strong penalty for silencing unpopular opinions.
Male: 49% strongly support + 19% somewhat support = 68% support, 23% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 3%)
Female: 35% strongly support + 26% somewhat support = 61% support, 29% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 2%)
At the center of the current push to impose leftist speech codes is sexual identity. This is the latest “safety” and speech as violence fraud. Yet, those current college students who self-identify as some part of LGBTQIA+ hold the identical position to those students who identify as “straight.”
Straight: 41% strongly support + 23% somewhat support = 64% support, 28% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 13%)
LGBTQIA+: 42% strongly support + 21% somewhat support = 63% support, 22% neither agree nor disagree (+/- 13%)
These positive results agree with a 2019 Pew Research poll of the general American public. This adds some confidence that the results reflect the real views of the populations these polls claim to represent.
2019 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL WAVE 43, Admissions Topline:
Here are some factors colleges and universities may consider when making decisions about student admissions.
Do you think each of the following should be a major factor, minor factor, or not a factor in college admissions?a. Race or ethnicity
7% Major factor
19% Minor factor
73% Not a factor
* No answerb. Gender
5% Major factor
14% Minor factor
81% Not a factor
1% No answer
So, for all the drumbeat of doom, for all the hyped headlines, for all the viral videos, the left is not necessarily dominating the hearts and minds of the young. The problem may be manufactured by a small social media activist core, mobbing effects, and a leftist infiltration of leadership across private and public sectors, using the false cover of a loud tiny minority to advance very old leftist goals.
The left has not won. It ain’t over ’til it’s over. No fate. Perhaps the kids are still alright.
Published in General
Sounds good, but if they still go woke after college to get jobs because all the HR people who went before them are woke, does it really help?
The left will see this as a call to try harder to persecute and suppress bad-thought.
Thank you Clifford. I’m with you and see this as a positive. We have something to work with here.
This assumes “wokeness” is actually widespread rather than concentrated and amplified by social media. It ain’t necessarily so.
FIFY. It’s important that we get the lexicon absolutely correct. Our new masters are sticklers.
I’m in the “sort of” good news camp. To me there are still way too many who cannot fully support free speech. This is worrying.
Assuredly, and it may be that they are moving past the point of acceptability in the general public.
Maybe, but I thought that second question was too vague. What do you mean by “prohibit students from freely expressing their opinions on campus when the students haven’t broken the law”? Do you mean getting failing grades simply for expressing an opinion with which the professor disagrees? Do you mean expulsion over casual comments overheard in the lunchroom? Or do you mean regulation or discouragement of non-institutional demonstrations and events? Or do you mean uneven regulation of demonstrations and events with viewpoint as the main reason for unevenness?
If they take that approach, they also risk alienating lots of people along the way.
And they still vote Democrat, which goes against much of what the polling data says . . .
From what I can see, the Left has no problem dealing with cognitive dissonance.
Yeh that’s pretty close to the same point I was making. How they answer polls is far less important than how they vote.
Im. going to ask my grand children what they think their colleagues believe about the matter.
Not just what they think. How they vote, or plan to vote. If they vote – or plan to vote – Democrat, it doesn’t matter what they “think.” For that matter, it would be more clear that they DON’T really think.
I guess I’m alarmed that the support isn’t far higher across all demographics.
Prohibit means prohibit, and is addressing proposed policy, as the survey title indicates. This question addresses speech codes and the right to assemble on campus.
I wasn’t wondering what “prohibit” means. It was a long question, though, with several terms that can have different meanings and applications. The right to assemble on campus can mean different things too. Assemble casually in small groups? Assemble a march or demonstration even if it disrupts class? On campus meaning anywhere on campus? On campus at all? Is the proposed regulation of speech on campus meant to silence a particular opinion or is it meant to regulate the regular operation of the purpose of the campus?
Actually, the first step is deciding to exercise the franchise, historical underutilized by the youngest cohort of eligible voters. The second step is deciding for whom or for which positions or party to vote. On both counts, Republicans have failed to seriously act. We’ve smiled, laughed, nodded along with the nonsense about liberal youth turning to conservative middle aged voters, as if that was some law of nature. What Republican or conservative resources are poured into shaping high school age students as they approach voting age? Where are the Republican political operatives and officeholders listening, engaging, and asking? We have far too few Dan Crenshaws showing up on college campuses.
If the relevant politicians are not making the case connecting these opinions with their own candidacy, why would students make the connection despite all the progressive propaganda they get?
Why, given the apparently relentless bombardment of students with propaganda and indoctrination that should produce the opposite answers?
Yes, of course it should be higher – I’d prefer something like 100% – but that it doesn’t match the programming they’ve been receiving, is still significant.
I guess I am naïve enough to think college students largely embrace the idea of freedom of speech. But . . . eh, you’re right.
They’re all for freedom of speech, unless it’s “hate speech.” Which, of course, can be whatever they decide it is.
Found this on Power Line:
There is a consistent 10 point drop from each generation to the next. This is not something you can blame on Gen Z or Millennials. Every generation has become less proud of America. And yet, even Gen Z is still at the 50/50 mark, despite apparently relentless browbeating about the evils of America since kindergarten.
The 90% cowed by the the 10%. The 10% dominating education, media, government and other positions of power and authority.
Allowing the 10% to concentrate power and wealth for their own aggrandizement at the expense of the 90%.
What I don’t understand is how a supermajority of the 90% don’t understand they are being manipulated by the 10%.
There was a time in this country when the opposite was mostly true.
What bothers me is all those who “somewhat support” free speech and so forth. That’s like saying I support free speech 51%. That’s not supporting free speech the other 49% of the time. What limitations do you think “somewhat” supporters see as acceptable. My guess is that it is all the free speech that they don’t agree with.
Or, free speech that might “offend” someone else.
Told you the kids are rebelling.
They are not conservative or liberal. They just know they are being lied to.
The question was not “do you support free speech?” The question was whether universities should lose public funding if they prohibit lawful free expression on campus. “Somewhat support” means somewhat support stripping universities of public funding, a particular and drastic penalty.
But none of it means very much if you don’t first define what “free speech” is, and make sure the people you’re polling agree with that definition. And then make sure they’re actually applying that definition in your answers. Part of the problem now is you get people – perhaps especially young people/students – who don’t think “free speech” includes “hate speech.” And it’s not even something they particularly state, especially up-front. It’s just an assumption they go by when actually doing things, including voting.
Those are impressions we get. That is certainly the narrative. Now, let’s find the carefully constructed polling data. Or not.