Ka Leo O Hawaii

Senior English major Kristen Clyne-Hamitouche stands behind the table at Campus Center in support for her chosen Democratic candidate for President. SOU-CHUNG "SAU" HSU * Ka Leo O Hawai'i [Click to enlarge]

College students are starting to care about politics again according to UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute annual survey of 276,449 first-year students at 413 colleges and universities in the nation.

Political awareness among entering college students rose for the third year in a row since the Vietnam War. Student political activism and awareness had been on a steady decline since Vietnam, reaching its lowest level in 1994.

Currently, college students are referred to as "swing voters" because they are split in their preferences in the president. While 34 percent say they would vote for Bush and 32 percent for the Democratic candidate, 26 percent are unsure at this time and 8 percent are independent.

With close to 9.5 million 18-24 year olds enrolled in colleges or universities, the impact this "swing voter" population could have in the upcoming presidential elections is significant.

Political ideologies among students tend to reflect the "middle of the road" platforms politicians often take to secure votes.

One half of freshmen consider themselves to be "middle-of-the-road." Among the 2003 entering class, 22.7 percent self-identify themselves as "conservative/far right" while 24.2 percent labeled themselves "liberal;" 2.8 percent defined as "far left."

According to the Institute of Politics, 36 percent of students consider themselves liberal thinkers on political issues while 32 percent consider themselves conservatives and 29 percent are moderates.

"Differences between political parties like the democrats and republicans have been muted," said Ira Rohter, political science professor at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. "Students cannot identify because politicians live in isolation."

Politicians' lack of specificity and communication on ideologies may affect student enthusiasm but the recent War in Iraq, the events of Sept. 11, and the War on Terror have increased students' awareness and concern.

Rohter identifies an intriguing conversion of young people being drawn in by the president's savvy rhetoric, which he thinks is seeping into student consciousness as an alert to suspicious political moves.

"Bush is such a liar. He is a sophisticated propaganda machine," Rohter said.

One-third of students feel that "keeping up to date with political affairs" is a very important life goal. The percentage of freshmen that discuss politics on a frequent basis increased from 19.4 percent in 2002 to 22.5 percent in 2003. More than 4 out of 5 students report following current events.

Student's trust in the nation's leader and the government is exemplified by recent statistics in the UCLA study: 12 percent of students believe members of the Bush administration have been telling the entire truth while 66 percent think the administration has been hiding some things. A group of 21 percent believes that the administration is not telling the truth for the most part.

"Mistrust of political leaders and government is what should compel an individual to get involved in politics," urged Eric Carter, senior sociology and ethnic studies major and president of the student political group The Love Movement at UH.

Controversial problems in the nation affect students' trust in government. When asked what was the one problem in the country that concerned students most, 37 percent indicated issues related to the war in Iraq and on terrorism, 18 percent reported the economy, 9 percent said foreign policy, and 6 percent said education.

Barriers and access to political involvement are prevalent among college students. One quarter of students who plan to vote don't know how. Many students attend college away from their resident states, yet they may not be familiar with absentee ballots.

Also, since college students are generally between the ages of 18-24, they are fairly new to the process and may require more instruction on registering or finding their nearest voting polls.

"Honestly, I vote on what name I know and have heard the most," said Thelma Dryer, public relations-journalism major at UH. "I already had my doubts about my vote making a difference in the 2000 presidential election, but I voted and then the votes got all messed up and it was very unsettling."

Dryer also stated that the more publicity and interesting speeches candidates have, the more likely she is to vote for them.

College students, like a majority of Americans, get their current events news from "traditional sources" — 74 percent of them turn on their television while 49 percent flip through newspapers to keep up with recent events, according to another 2003 survey conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University.

A majority of students say the ability to communicate directly with a favored campaign makes them more likely to become involved and politically aware.

One possible method to generate this kind of communication in a political campaign is use of online communication tools.

"I get my news from a Web site called www.commondreams.org," Carter said. "It provides an alternative perspective on contemporary issues and it also exposes a lot of news that the conservative mainstream press fails to recognize, because they are too involved with police chases, weather forecasts, and Janet Jackson's protruding nipple."

Community activism seems to be more of a priority than political activism among students. The level of commitment to community service among the demographic groups surveyed is solid and not dependent upon political ideology, race, religion, or gender. Students continue to overwhelmingly choose to affect change in their local communities rather than in the political arena. As many as 85 percent of students surveyed agreed with the statement: "volunteering in the community is easier than volunteering in politics."

This again mirrors the sentiments of barriers to political involvement. When asked if political involvement has any tangible results, 34 percent said rarely. When asked to reply to the statement: "Elected officials seem to be motivated by selfish reasons," 64 percent of students agreed.

Upcoming elections may contribute to the rise in political involvement by college students. According to the Institute of Politics survey, more than half of college students say they will definitely vote and 26 percent will probably vote in the general election for president.

"I just want a leader who will follow through on their promises," said Tupou Finau, senior psychology and English major at UH. "I don't trust politicians. I will vote, but I don't know if my one vote really can make a difference. Actions speak louder than words."

Carter urges students to vote in the upcoming presidential elections.

"Failing to vote is like indirectly voting for Bush's re-election," he said.

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