Monday, January 25, 1999
Students like Internet, can pass on beer, sex
STUDY: Annual survey
shows changing attitudes of U.S. college freshman
By Joy McMasters
Daily Bruin Contributor
The popularity of the Internet has grown in recent years and a
survey released today confirmed its widespread usage among
students.
According to "The American Freshman," an annual survey of the
attitudes and behaviors of college freshmen, 91 percent of freshmen
at UCLA and 83 percent nationwide use the Internet for both
research and homework.
"I was really surprised by the number of students who use the
Internet for research or homework," said survey director Linda
Sax.
Internet chat rooms and e-mail are also widely used, by 55
percent and 66 percent of students respectively, according to the
study, sponsored by the UCLA-based Higher Education Research
Institute.
In response to the growing presence of technology in education,
questions concerning the Internet were added to the study for the
first time in its 33 years.
The survey was started in 1966 by UCLA professor Alexander Astin
to track trends in students’ attitudes and activities. Now, the
survey is given to incoming freshmen at over 400 colleges and
universities across the country in order to get an idea of national
trends.
Though many students reported using the Internet, there is a
vast difference across colleges in the degree of access to this
technology. In fact, some students are not prepared to use the
Internet upon entering college, said Sax.
But UCLA freshmen are among the most Internet proficient,
compared to those at private institutions.
"You can find whatever you want on the Internet," said
first-year biology student Amal Mehta. "But you have to know how to
search and be willing to sit in front of a computer for a good
amount of time."
Among other trends, this year’s survey also shows a continuing
decrease in political and academic interest among entering college
freshmen.
With the ongoing Clinton scandal, surveyors anticipated an
increase in political interest, said Sax.
They found, though, that a record low of 26 percent found
"keeping up to date with political affairs" as very important.
"Political tactics have gotten nasty and people are sick of it,"
explained first-year biochemistry student Albert Tsai. "People have
become apathetic."
When the survey began, the Vietnam War and the civil rights
movement meant students were more concerned with politics, Sax
said. Today, issues closer to home such as prosperity,
volunteering, health and the Internet have gained importance.
Of reasons to attend college, the quest to learn is not as
important as making money, according to this year’s survey.
In fact, 77 percent of students nationwide and 70 percent at
UCLA report they came to college "to be able to get a better job"
and make more money when they graduate.
Nationally, only 62 percent reported they think of college as a
place to gain general education and appreciation of ideas, while 76
percent of UCLA freshmen seek that goal.
"At my high school, the counselors pushed the money issue,"
Mehta said. "They talked about how much more you make per year if
you go to college."
Also, 72 percent of freshmen nationally and 92 percent at UCLA
reported volunteering their time during their senior year of high
school.
Some students say volunteering gives a boost to college
applications.
"It’s getting harder to get into college. People volunteer to
look good," said Mehta. "People start planning early, like ninth
grade."
The survey, finding that only 21 percent of freshmen attended
high schools with community service requirements for graduation,
contradicts speculation that these criteria greatly increased
volunteerism.
"Students tell us now they just don’t have the time to volunteer
in college," said Sax.
Despite record volunteerism, only 19 percent of freshmen thought
they would continue to volunteer once in college.
Sax added those who continue to volunteer are often involved
with religious groups and other clubs that encourage this type of
work.
Other trends continued as the acceptability of beer drinking,
casual sex and abortion reached all-time lows.
For example, beer drinking among freshmen has decreased greatly
since 1981, falling from 75 percent to 52 percent nationally. Only
37 percent of UCLA freshmen reported drinking beer over the past
year.
Also, support for keeping abortion legal has dropped for the
sixth straight year. Just 51 percent of those surveyed, down from a
high of 65 percent in 1990, supported the procedure.
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