The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2006 Sylvia Hurtado & John H. Pryor January 19, 2007 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) Graduate School of Education & Information Studies University of California, Los Angeles http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html

CIRP Surveys Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) established in 1966 at American Council on Education CIRP transferred to UCLA in 1973 40th Anniversary of CIRP in 2006 Examination of long-term trends in college students Data used for policy analysis, human resource planning, campus administration, educational research, guidance and counseling

CIRP Surveys Freshman Survey Your First College Year (YFCY) End of first year of college College Senior Survey (CSS) End of college experience Survey instruments Used in conjunction for longitudinal purposes Revised annually to reflect changing concerns

2006 Freshman Norms Based on weighted responses of 271,441 students at 393 4-year colleges and universities 88% median institutional participation rate Data statistically adjusted to reflect responses of 1.3 million first-time, full-time students

Presentation Outline Political Orientation and Views Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Concerns about College Finances Impact of Finances on College Choice Reliance on Paid Work AP Course-Taking and Exams Civic Commitment and Concerns Pre-College/College Racial Composition

Political Orientation and Views

Political Orientation and Views Increased prevalence of discussing politics in high school 2006 – 33.8 percent (“frequently”) 2004 – 25.5 percent (“frequently”)

Political Orientation and Views Political shift away from center Political Orientation 2006 Change from 2005 Liberal 28.4% (highest since 1975) +1.3% Middle-of-the-Road 43.3% (lowest since 1970) -1.7% Conservative 23.9% (highest in history)

Political Orientation and Views Political shift away from center

Political Orientation and Views Shift in attitudes from 2005 to 2006 Agree “Strongly or “Somewhat” 2005 2006 The federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns 78.7% 73.8% There is too much concern in the courts for the rights of criminals 57.9% 55.9% Same sex couples should have the right to legal marital status 61.2% It is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relations 27.4% 25.6%

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Differences in support for gay rights

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Differences in support for legalizing abortion

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Noticeable differences along ideological lines Agree “Strongly or “Somewhat” Liberals Conservatives The death penalty should be abolished 48.0% 22.5% Marijuana should be legalized 52.5% 23.5% A national health plan is needed to cover everybody’s medical costs 83.9% 57.0%

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Affirmative action in college admissions should be abolished 52.7% of conservative freshmen agree “strongly” or “somewhat” 44.6% of liberal freshmen agree “strongly” or “somewhat”

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Modest differences along ideological lines Agree “Strongly or “Somewhat” Liberals Conservatives Dissent is a critical component of the political process 66.1% 63.2% Realistically, an individual can do little to bring about major changes in our society 25.3% 26.5%

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Political Orientation Agree “Strongly or “Somewhat” Liberal/ Far Left Middle-of-the-Road Conservative/ Far Right The federal government is not doing enough to control environmental pollution 88.5% 79.3% 62.5% The federal government should do more to control the sale of handguns 81.8% 74.8% 62.1% Only volunteers should serve in the armed forces 73.0% 53.6% Wealthy people should pay a larger share of taxes than they do now 71.6% 57.8% 42.2% Through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society 68.3% 79.9% 85.4% The chief benefit of a college education is that it increases one's earning power 59.6% 68.8% 70.8%

Attitudes on Social/Political Issues Political Orientation Agree “Strongly or “Somewhat” Liberal/ Far Left Middle-of-the-Road Conservative/ Far Right There is too much concern in the courts for the rights of criminals 43.2% 58.3% 67.6% Undocumented immigrants should be denied access to public education 34.0% 47.5% 61.4% The federal government should raise taxes to reduce the deficit 33.4% 24.2% 23.3% Colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers from campus 28.5% 40.6% 55.1% Federal military spending should be increased 18.4% 31.7% 51.4% Racial discrimination is no longer a problem in America 12.6% 18.7% 27.8%

Civic Commitment and Concerns

Civic Commitment and Concerns Institutional Type Black Colleges “Essential” or “Very Important” Objectives All Baccalaureate Institutions All Public Private Helping others who are in difficulty 66.7% 76.5% 75.0% 79.5% Becoming a community leader 35.2% 52.7% 49.8% 58.3% Influencing social values 42.5% 57.7% 56.1% 60.9% Participating in an organization like the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps/VISTA 11.3% 15.2% 15.3% 15.0%

Concerns about College Finances

Concerns about College Finances 2 out of 3 (64.1 percent) students indicate that they have “some” or “major” concerns regarding their ability to finance the costs of college education

Concerns about College Finances “Major” concerns about financing college based on family income

College Choice and Finances

College Choice 2006 – 67.3% attending first choice Lowest level since 1988 (66.7%)

College Choice and Finances Top 5 important reasons influencing college choice for students attending first-choice institution Academic reputation Graduates getting good jobs Visit to campus School size Good social reputation

Impact of Finances on College Choice Finances of greater concern for students attending second- and third-choice institutions Considered cost “very important” Freshmen attending first-choice institution 29.1% Freshmen attending second-choice institution 37.4% Freshmen attending third-choice institution 40.4%

Impact of Finances on College Choice Of students who were admitted but did not attend their first-choice institutions… 34.0% could not afford their first choice 20.7% did not receive aid from their first choice

Impact of Finances on College Choice Attending "Very Important" Reason for Attending this College 1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice 4th Choice and Lower This college has a very good academic reputation 63.0 49.9 41.1 30.5 This college's graduates get good jobs 52.7 44.9 39.2 31.3 A visit to campus 43.1 31.2 23.5 18.0 I wanted to go to a school about the size of this college 42.9 33.6 26.0 21.3 This college has a very good reputation for its social activities 35.6 28.0 21.6 15.5 I was offered financial assistance 32.5 37.2 39.6 39.8 This college's graduates gain admission to top graduate/professional schools 31.4 28.4 27.5 23.8

Impact of Finances on College Choice Attending "Very Important" Reason for Attending this College 1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice 4th Choice and Lower The cost of attending this college 29.1 37.4 40.4 41.2 I wanted to live near home 19.6 16.7 13.8 12.5 Information from a website 18.1 15.6 13.4 11.0 Rankings in national magazines 17.5 14.4 14.0 12.9 Admitted through Early Action/Decision program 6.4 5.0 3.7 Could not afford my first choice 3.0 20.4 26.0 28.4 Not offered aid by my first choice 2.3 13.2 18.2 21.4

Reliance on Paid Work

Reliance on Paid Work Source of Aid for First Year 2006 Change from 2000 Parents, other relatives, or friends 82.2% -0.3% Other savings 38.3% +6.3% Part-time job on campus 29.0% +3.2% Part-time job off campus 24.3% +2.4% Full-time job while in college 4.7% +2.0%

AP Course-Taking and Exams

AP Course-Taking and Exams 61.6% took at least one AP course 51.0% took at least one AP exam 6.3% went to high schools that did not offer AP courses

AP Course-Taking and Exams AP Courses Offered at My High School: None Took 1 or More AP Courses Took 1 or More AP Exams Took 5 or More AP Courses White 6.2% 61.1% 49.7% 13.9% Black/African American 7.4% 49.8% 38.6% 7.6% American Indian 6.5% 62.1% 48.7% 31.7% Asian American/Pacific Islander 5.8% 73.1% 65.7% 17.8% Latina/o 5.1% 67.7% 59.4% 13.7% Other/Unknown 58.9% 47.8% 13.0% TOTAL 6.3% 61.7% 50.9% 14.9%

Pre-College/College Racial Composition

Pre-College/College Racial Composition Percentage of White Students in Incoming Freshman Cohort at Student's Institution Racial Composition of High School Last Attended Mean % s.d. All/mostly non-White 49.0 28.5 Half & Half 63.0 22.8 All/mostly White 72.1 16.9 Racial Composition of Neighborhood Where You Grew Up 48.5 29.3 59.5 24.6 71.9 16.5 TOTAL 67.0 21.6

Conclusions Increasing student political and civic awareness Colleges can foster democratic citizenship, greater political and civic awareness. Good news for college classroom and student affairs work College choice is becoming more complex Attention to financial support for low-income and middle-class families is essential Given unequal opportunities in access to AP courses and exams, we need to offer alternative criteria for admissions Diversity remains a major concern for college educational goals

Register for the 2007 CIRP Freshman Survey For more information: A copy of “The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2006, press release, research brief, powerpoint slides: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.htm Register for the 2007 CIRP Freshman Survey www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/cirp_register.html