Bush, surprisingly, has students' support

Zach Herman
The BG News (Bowling Green State U.)

The cliche is seemingly as old as universities themselves: college students are politically liberal and overwhelmingly apathetic. But a new study may shatter some misguided preconceptions about the ideological leanings and motivations that fuel the denizens of campuses nationwide.

The Harvard Institute of Politics released the results of a survey of 1202 college students across the country Monday, and the trends revealed may have a substantial influence on next year's presidential election.

Amazingly, 82 percent of students are planning on voting in 2004, a sharp reversal from previous years, when participation rates among collegians hovered around 30 percent. This statistic may seem advantageous to Howard Dean and the other Democratic hopefuls, but the study finds that Liberals can no longer rely on those students who do vote to support Democratic candidates. Rather, the survey contends that while a plurality of students describe themselves as independent, the demographic leans slightly right as a whole.

Of those questioned, 31 percent self-identified as Republicans, compared to 27 percent who called themselves Democrats. This is in direct opposition to the general public, which leans Democratic.

Support for President Bush is also higher among college students than in the nation as a whole. Bush's approval rating among students has remained steady at 61 percent (roughly 10 points better than his national mark) since an April survey, while his national numbers have dropped significantly during that time.

Even more shocking in today's climate of inept international relations and domestic policy bungling is the belief held by 46 percent of those surveyed that "the country is on the right track." This large number reflects both the surprising conservatism of college students and unfamiliarity with the newspaper or CNN. While Bush enjoys impressive support from a group not generally interested in the conservative platform, he doesn't emerge unscathed. One-third of respondents said that they have lost trust in the president in the past year. Furthermore, nearly nine in 10 say that the White House has been misleading about the war in Iraq.

Although students question Bush's handling of the Iraq situation, the condition of the struggling economy may ultimately be the determining factor for the college crowd.

Seventeen percent of collegians consider the economy the No. 1 issue in the 2004 election. That number is up 7 percent from a similar study last year and represents good news for Democrats, who are widely viewed as weak on defense and stronger on social and domestic issues.

In another positive sign for the left, 71 percent of students believe that finding a job after graduation will be "very or somewhat difficult." When students are collecting degrees but not jobs this May, the alternative may seem a lot more appealing than the incumbent.

College students also have surprising opinions of the current Democratic candidates. The frontrunner among students who have a preference is Joe Lieberman, easily the most conservative of the nine hopefuls and someone whose campaign is widely considered to be doomed. Dean, who has received glowing media coverage for his ability to inspire and motivate the Internet generation, placed second. Still, the overwhelming plurality is undecided about 2004.

For this reason, both Republicans and Democrats will need to court the college vote like never before if they hope to succeed next November. Eighteen percent of students are undecided on their candidate in the 2004 general election, a number the survey says is "far higher than the general population."

The college population may well be the swing vote in neat year's election. You are responsible for taking our country back from the corruption and crony capitalism of the Bush administration. Don't say your vote doesn't matter - it does. So be aware, learn about the candidates and make your voice heard in the next election. Your future, and your future job, may depend on it.

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