From climate change to easing COVID-19 restrictions, here are this week’s top college student insights.
Earth Day
Although college students ranked climate change as one of their top three priorities leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the partisan debate about protecting the planet doesn’t sit well with most students. A recent survey of 1,017 undergraduates finds that a majority (62%) believe climate change is not and should not be a political issue. But male students are more likely than female students to say so. While almost 7 in 10 (69%) male students say climate change shouldn’t be a political issue, 56% of female students agree.
There’s a similar divide along party lines, with Democratic students being more likely to strongly agree that climate change is not political. Roughly half (54%) of college Democrats strongly agree, compared to 21% of college Republicans. However, the gap narrows when you factor in students who either strongly or somewhat agree (64% of Democrats vs. 54% of Republicans).
Agree or disagree: Climate change is not and should not be a political issue.
Easing COVID-19 Restrictions
A new survey of 844 students finds that college Democrats are worried about their states loosening COVID-19 restrictions too early. About 6 in 10 (64%) college students are either somewhat or very concerned about their communities opening up before it’s safe again. However, Democratic students are five times more likely than Republican students to be concerned (89% vs. 17%).
___________________________
Methodology: All surveys were designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of full-time and part-time students attending colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
