Poll Says Harvard Lags In Student Promiscuity

Harvard students may boast of being at the top of the Ivy League, but according to a poll conducted late last year, they are at the very bottom when it comes to alcohol consumption and sexual activity.

The poll, organized by former Ross Perot Pollster and current Institute of Politics Fellow Frank I. Luntz, asked 400 Harvard students a series of 198 questions on topics ranging from promiscuity to current events. The poll was given to 3,119 by League students overall.

Forty-four percent of polled Harvard students said they have never had sexual intercourse, putting Harvard behind all other Ivy League Colleges in promiscuity. For the students who said they are sexually active, the average number of reported partners is three and one half.

Almost one quarter of Harvard students polled don't drink at all and half said they drink at least weekly. Five percent said they drink daily.

Harvard is also last in drug use; 69 percent of College respondents said they had never used marijuana Thirty-three percent of Harvard students endorsed legalization of pot. In addition to social issues, the poll touched on curricular topics and school satisfaction.

When asked to rank Ivy League schools, 87 percent of Harvard students ranked the College number one. Among all Ivy League students polled, an average of 57 percent ranked Harvard first. Thirty percent of Yale students put Harvard on top.

But Harvard students are less satisfied with curriculum and teaching at the college, according to the poll. Twenty-seven percent of Harvard students said the curriculum was excellent and only 11 percent -- the lowest overall -- said teacher accessibility was excellent. And 52 percent of Harvard students polled said their college's grading standards were "difficult," compared to 60 percent of Ivy League students overall.

On other questions, one-third of Harvard students -- compared to 73 percent of all Ivy League students -- said their university had a race relations problem.

The poll, released this week in U.S. News and World Report, reached a group of 400 Harvard students that mirrors the College's ethnic and gender makeup. The poll has a margin of error of 5.7 percent. Luntz, an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted the poll last November with 12 Penn students

When asked to rank Ivy League schools, 87 percent of Harvard students ranked the College number one. Among all Ivy League students polled, an average of 57 percent ranked Harvard first. Thirty percent of Yale students put Harvard on top.

But Harvard students are less satisfied with curriculum and teaching at the college, according to the poll. Twenty-seven percent of Harvard students said the curriculum was excellent and only 11 percent -- the lowest overall -- said teacher accessibility was excellent. And 52 percent of Harvard students polled said their college's grading standards were "difficult," compared to 60 percent of Ivy League students overall.

On other questions, one-third of Harvard students -- compared to 73 percent of all Ivy League students -- said their university had a race relations problem.

The poll, released this week in U.S. News and World Report, reached a group of 400 Harvard students that mirrors the College's ethnic and gender makeup. The poll has a margin of error of 5.7 percent. Luntz, an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted the poll last November with 12 Penn students