Religion Matters, 70% of US College Students Say

[krsna]

BY: JENNIFER MARTINEZ

 

 

Apr 14, WASHINGTON, DC (PHILA. INQUIRER) — In a Harvard poll, a majority of those in college also said the nation's moral direction concerns them.

 

A majority of U.S. college students say that religion is important in their lives and that they are concerned about the country's moral direction, according to a Harvard University Institute of Politics poll released yesterday.

 

In a telephone survey of 1,200 American college students, 70 percent said religion was somewhat or very important in their lives, and 25 percent said they had become more spiritual since entering college.

 

Fifty-four percent said they were concerned about the moral direction of the country.

 

Students who were surveyed said that the issues of abortion policy, stem-cell research and same-sex marriage provoked questions of morality.

 

Sixty-two percent of students who identified themselves as Republicans said the influence of religion on American society is declining, while 54 percent of Democrats said it is growing.

 

Most agreed, however, that the religion of a candidate for office would not be a factor in determining how they voted.

Jeanne Shaheen, the director of the Institute of Politics, said in a statement that the findings showed that "religion and morality are critical to how students think about politics and form opinions on political issues."