Survey Finds Support for War

Although 79 percent of students across the country support U.S.-led airstrikes on Afghanistan, nearly a third oppose sending ground troops and a third said they would not serve in the army if the draft were reinstated, according to a recently conducted survey at the Institute of Politics (IOP).

The IOP’s Campus Attitudes toward Politics and Public Service (CAPPS) survey reached 1,200 undergraduates from American universities between Oct. 17 and 25.

“This year’s survey of undergraduates is critical because the bulk of the soldiers called to serve are young people,” said IOP Director Sen. David Pryor.

Only 1 percent of those surveyed currently serve in an ROTC or other military service program, and 83 percent said they would be unlikely to volunteer for military service or participate in an ROTC program in the future.

A substantial majority of students strongly opposed the draft, with only 8 percent strongly supporting its reinstutution.

The survey indicated a low political involvement among students, 72 percent of whom said they did not participate in any government, political, or issues-oriented organization.

A majority of students, however, said that they had given blood, volunteered time or money to Sept. 11 relief efforts.

“To us it was striking that over 70 percent from around the country, in the West, in the Midest, who are very far removed from all this are still involved,” said Trevor Dryer ‘02, who is one of the organizers of CAPPS.

“After these horrible events, this could be a silver lining,” said Dryer.

But CAPPS organizers say one-time efforts such as blood donation may not indicate a shift from the overall student apathy and lack of involvement in politics and public service.

“Who is to say how long it will last?” said Erin B. Ashwell ’02, another organizer. Ashwell said heightened student awareness after Sept. 11 is a “window of opportunity,” and said she was hopeful that it would be the start of a continuing trend toward increased involvement.

The survey, which this year included eighty-five questions, was first conducted in April, 2000.

“We hope it will become a lasting tool for academics and policymakers,” said Gordon Li, an IOP staffer who has worked on the CAPPS project since the fall of 2000.

Survey questions were determined by a group of undergraduates led by John Della Volpe, president of the Boston-based opinion research firm SWR/DellaVolp.