College Students Favor Kerry, but Apathy Grows

[kskiska]

There's good news from college campuses for Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.): Students clearly prefer him over President Bush in this fall's election. The bad news? College students express a declining belief in the importance of voting and the relevance of politics to their lives.

These are among the findings of a recent nationwide poll of college students conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.

Although both presidential campaigns are courting the campus vote, Kerry seems to have the most to lose from students' growing indifference. The poll found 42 percent of college students backing Kerry, with 30 percent for Bush and 4 percent for Ralph Nader. Kerry's challenge will be getting them to the polls Nov. 2.

"There is a downward trend in the perception that voting is a way to change society," the Hart analysis says. "In March 2001, almost half <47 percent> of students felt that voting in elections for president was a way to bring about a lot of change in society." Only 35 percent now feel that way. "Few American college students believe that politics is very relevant in their life," the survey found.

Maybe Kerry should target the Shakespeare students and leave the computer nerds to Bush. More than 70 percent of humanities majors said politics was relevant to their daily lives, compared with 36 percent of computer science students.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35269-2004Jun11.html

[kikiek]

1. I find it ironic that

those very same students who doubt the validity of the democratic process will soon be drafted and fighting to impose it on others. The other ironic part is as we battle to end a Theocracy there, those in power here continually try to shove religion down our throats. I guess as long as it's Christ it's alright!

[Old and In the Way]

2. Hmmmmm.....do I believe this story?

I find it hard to believe that political activism is receding in light of what Bush is doing in the ME. Sure, I could believe that college sudents in the 90s coul have been politically apathetic, but I find it incomprehensible that these students are not concerned about a draft, the constitutional attack on women's right to choose, on the growing religious, anti-science bent of this administration.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Alas the kids we have talked to

"they cannot draft me!"

"Oh darn will have to go to college."

"I'm too fat, they won't take me."

"I'm gay."

I could go on.

Are you gonna vote?

Why bother!

(And for all those exceptions to what we have seen,
thanks for keeping my hope alive that they will
go. I fear that the kids have been convinced
by the Repubs that there is no use in voting. Oh and
December 12, 2000, a day that should live in infamy,
has not helped to change these attittudes)

[AndyTiedye]

5. The Theft of the 2000 Election IS The Problem

Many of the kids figure the 2004 election is sure to be stolen anyway.

Having Ralph Nader running around claiming that there is no
difference between the Democrats and the Republicand doesn't help either.

[absolutezero]

3. i'm not one of them

i'm one of the college kids that actually likes politics, and i'm not a humanities major

most of my friends don't care because they think (for some reason) that the elections are always rigged (florida 2000 and personal experience in highschool student govt.) and that registering is incredibly hard

one of my idiot friends actually asked me why i cared about politics enough to submit to the backround checks and bloodtest he though you needed to register to vote (im not kidding, some teacher at the catholic school he went to told him this, probably to prevent a liberal minded person from voting)

[WindRavenX]

7. Same here

I go to college in Boston, and while you figure young people should be pretty excited about Kerry being a hometown hero, most people could care less.
People just don't care. It's really sad...

[horrifiedheartlander]

14. non participation = consent to fascism

When I was in college in the war in Vietnam had been raging for years. Believe me, students learned history REAL fast.

Young students today had better take an interest or it will be too late when they discover that their complacency has caused irreversible militarization and fascistic plutocracy that compels their religious observance and obedience.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

10. So am I!!!!

[oasis]

6. The boot camp drill sergeant will have a sure cure for their apathy.

[FlashHarry]

8. HOW THE FUCK CAN THEY BE APATHETIC???

This is the most crucial election in our long history! How in god's name can anyone be apathetic? I don't get it.

[Barkley]

9. You answered your own question - "history"

I teach college and a some of student apathy comes from not having an
appreciation and understanding of history.

Just this week my school's newspaper ran a front-page story about the possibility of a draft and student reaction. While most were against the draft the general attitude was one of resignation. Many students had no idea that Congress was considering passing laws to instating the draft.

However, several minority student organization understood the draft's liking impact on their communities and are planning workshops about the draft.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Perhaps they Understand Recent History All Too Well

It is preciesely that history that causes many people to lose hope.

2000 Presidential Election: stolen and a Senator murdered.

2002 Senatorial Elections: stolen with help of BBV, and another Senator murdered.

2004 Presidential Election: More Black Box Voting than ever before, and
a Democratic candidate from Massachussetts with the inauspicious initials "JFK".

The introduction of a draft bill by Democrats undercuts our position
that voting Democratic will prevent a draft. It also makes a draft far
more likely in any case, as Bush* can claim "bipartisan" support for it.

Many very scary parallels between this Misadminstration and the one in Germany in the 1930's.


"Resignation" is not apathy. It's what happens when people realize that they are utterly screwed and have no idea what, if anything, they can do
about it.

[freeforall]

11. How the hell can any human being

...not understand that politics influences his or her life???

You just have to have to look at civil liberties to know that a government's laws and policies dictate how much freedom or restriction we have.

What a short-sighted, irresponsible attitude!

[stickdog]

12. Computer science majors understand BBV. (nt)