This Year’s Freshmen Show Affinity for Civic
Engagement and Responsibility
New survey shows volunteer
work and intentions at all-time high
There’s good reason to be proud of today’s students!
When it comes to civic engagement and responsibility, this
year’s entering college freshmen show some of the highest
commitments in years. That’s according to UCLA’s
annual “The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall
2005” survey of entering U.S. undergraduates.
When asked if they believe it is essential or very important
to help others who are in difficulty, 66.3 percent of respondents
answered yes, the highest this percentage has been in the
past 25 years. In addition:
• 83.2 percent volunteered at least occasionally during
their senior year of high school (an all-time high)
• 70.6 percent typically volunteered on a weekly basis
• 67.3 percent said there is a good or some chance
that they’ll continue volunteering in college (an all-time
high)
Something known as the period effect—when significant
social or world events impact students at an impressionable
time of life—may have to do with this increased sense
of civic responsibility, says John Pryor, director of the
Cooperative Institutional Research Project Freshman Survey
conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. “The
Indian Ocean tsunami occurred during their high school senior
year, and Hurricane Katrina hit the southern Gulf Region
in August, as many students began college,” he said. “This
widespread rise in student attitudes reflecting social concerns
and civic responsibility could be a reaction to the worst
global and national disasters witnessed in their lifetime.”
“This cohort will likely have a special affinity for
social responsibility as a result,” added Sylvia Hurtado,
director of the Higher Education Research Institute and a
UCLA education professor.
You can encourage this continued sense of civic responsibility
by helping your student find places to volunteer when he
is home. Maybe joining the volunteer firefighters sounds
appealing. Or maybe she is interested in some one-shot volunteer
efforts during school breaks, from gift wrapping for the
March of Dimes at holiday time to offering classroom assistance
during Spring Break. Many of today’s students want
to give their time and talents, and your encouragement makes
a difference.
Other Results from the Survey
- 25.6 percent report that
it is essential or very important for them to participate
personally in community action programs —up
4.1 percentage points since 2004 and the highest
percentage since 1996
- 33.9 percent find becoming a leader essential
or very important—a 3.2 percentage point increase
since 2004
- 41.3 percent believe it is essential or very important
to influence social values personally—3.0 percentage
points over 2004
- 49.7 percent participated in organized demonstrations
as high school seniors
- 36.4 percent believe it’s important or essential
to “keep up to date with political affairs”
- 12.0 percent worked in
local, state or national political campaigns in high
school
For more on “The American Freshman – National
Norms for Fall 2005,” go to http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/norms05.html.
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Source: UCLA News release, Jan. 25, 2006, www.newsroom.ucla.edu
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