Why college students are so liberal.

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>I've noticed that a vast majority of students at my school are liberal. But why? </p>

<p>There are obvious reasons why the general population can be liberal (the merit of which I will not discuss here), but why are 18-22 year olds disproportionally left leaning? </p>

<p>I think it's because college students in whole are sheltered from reality. We're in school, trudging to classes in the morning, and partying hard at night. We don't pay taxes. We don't have children to care for. We don't know what it feels like to earn $150k a year, only to realize $50k of that is taken away (read: robbed). There is no urgency for us to believe that life should NOT be equal. We're carefree. </p>

<p>Chime in if you have a strong stance (i.e either really liberal or really conservative).
No fence riders please.</p>

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<p>In the words of Winston Churchill himself, “f you’re not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you’re not a conservative at forty you have no brain.”</p>

<p>ie college kids don’t pay taxes and therefore should be idealistic and want the best for everybody. Once you’re making your own income, you’d be stupid to want people to tax it.</p>

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<p>It’s a divide-and-conquer mechanism of the state. About 47% of the households will not pay income tax, so of course one side is going to pander to the other by raising tax and divvying spoils.</p>

<p>The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.
-Cicero</p>

<p>On a parting note, it is eerie how US history parallels that of Rome, especially with the Nixon price controls compared to Diocletian’s draconian Edict of Maximum Prices in 302</p>

<p>Daretorun - I am no fan of Churchill, but what he said is true in this case.</p>

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<p>People are exposed to a lot of different things all at once and all the time. Schools litter classrooms and common areas with “stop prejudice” and “accept new things” flyers. And lastly, people are away from their parents for the first time, experimenting drinking, drugs, and sex, living on their own and making their own decisions, and studying new things. The overall acceptance of new things and experiences leads to people being more open-minded about “liberal” issues in contrast to their old-fashioned, traditional parents. In turn, this is why college kids are liberal.</p>

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<p>I’m fairly liberal and I somewhat agree with your points, although I think you might have worded them a bit differently. I think college students are more idealistic than their older American counterparts, and a big part of that is because they are removed from the “real world,” so to speak. However, I also think that in nearly every generation, the youngest people are the most liberal and progressive, because younger people are more used to a changing society.</p>

<p>For example - we are much more used to tolerating differences than our parents’ generation, and even the generation above them. Thus we’re more naturally inclined to support these rights, because they feel more intuitive to us than they did to our parents. We’ve been raised to believe in equality, so we feel more connected to the party that focuses more on equality, whether it is in sexual orientation or giving welfare aid to those who are less fortunate. With every generation, it is the younger voters who are more liberal; as they grow older and are not as involved in the changes going on, they aren’t as liberal as they used to be.</p>

<p>These reasons try to explain trends, but to be honest, I don’t think it’s fair to lump all college students together. There are many reasons for a person’s political orientation, not least of which is family background. in fact, I’m pretty sure I learned in Poli Sci that a lot of a person’s political convictions are developed as a result of family and educational status.</p>

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<p>I do not think it is ‘fair’ either, but unless speaking otherwise, it is implied that one is speaking generally. I am not going to iterate through every exception, anomaly, and asterisk when speaking. In that regard, I suppose life is not ‘fair’.</p>

<p>That said, the schooling of this generation is markedly more liberal, egalitarian, etc. than those before it. It is from this that these liberal attitudes likely emerge, and it is from experience that these attitudes are cast aside.</p>

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<p>I’m a liberal moderate – I’ll probably usually vote Democrat, but I’m not vehemently opposed to the Republican party.</p>

<p>Liberalism usually appeals to college students because it has a lot of noble ideals: Egalitarianism, equitable division of a country’s assets, and so forth. Also, it’s much easier to part with other people’s money than your own, lol. People with more education can see the theoretical side of an argument.</p>

<p>Also, as you said, our priorities are different. Nowhere else can you find such an isolated bubble where people spend 4 years of their lives dedicated to nothing but bettering themselves. Out in the “real world”, no one is going to supply me with free Wi-Fi or give me free meals or pay my taxes or buy me toiletries… the list goes on. Despite being autonomous, we are not independent; we have the sense of freedom that liberates us to political movement without the minutiae of day-to-day life to restrain the ideas.</p>

<p>That being said, political activism (on both sides) is generally declining on college campuses nationwide. I think that’s very interesting, and curious.</p>

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<p>Lets stop for one second and correct a few generalizations.</p>

<p>First, not all, not even “the vast majority”, of college students are in the stereotypical no-work and all-party situation. Many students work while in college, and many of those work to pay for tuition, rent, TAXES etc. I am one of these.</p>

<p>I may not know what it feels like to earn 150K, but I do know what it feels like to earn 10k and learn to completely live off of that. If anyone was to be a “conservative” in an economic sense, then I should be, but I’m not. I also don’t consider my self “really” liberal either. Why is that not considered a “strong stance”? I think being way off to either side shows a strong level of ignorance.</p>

<p>Why would there ever be an “urgency” to believe that life should not be equal? Are you telling us it shouldn’t? And why? That’s a completely loaded statement. I think you are confusing socialism with liberalism. Lets go beyond the grips of FOXnews and understand the ideals for what they are; not what Bill O’Reilly says they are.</p>

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<p>[Egalitarianism</a> as a Revolt Against Nature by Murray N. Rothbard](<a href=“http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard31.html]Egalitarianism”>We're Not Equal - LewRockwell) - I highly recommend this article by Dr. Rothbard regarding this egalitarianism silliness.</p>

<p>That said, I again quote Cicero:
Wise men are instructed by reason; men of less understanding, by experience; the most ignorant, by necessity; the beasts, by nature.</p>

<p>It is a seemly thing to be guided by reason instead of corrected by experience.</p>

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<p>so hey im new and would love to be a doctor but im confused on what school to go to.Duke has been my dream but whats best</p>

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<p>In what way, “liberal?” In terms of social causes, e.g. activism? Yes, probably because they have more time to devote to organizing efforts than do adults.</p>

<p>On social issues, e.g. homosexuality, abortion? Yes, but that has much to do with other factors – religion being (in my opinion) the paramount one.</p>

<p>Fiscally? I have not really seen an overwhelming majority of fiscally liberal college students.</p>

<p>In lifestyle? If one defines “experimentation,” however idiotic and empty I find this pursuit to be, as liberal, then, yes, most would be liberal, probably because they view freedom as the ability to make decisions on their own.</p>

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<p>For the simple reason that people finally acquire the skills needed to think critically, as it is needed to pass schoolwork (at least those that take it seriously, anyway). Of course, I’m not saying that all other viewpoints other than my own are unfounded, as this is obviously not true, and even my views are constantly changing (I’m leaning towards being a left-libertarian), but some views are just flat out stupid. Of course, this goes both ways, but I’ve found “conservatives” to be the most guilty. Here’s a John Stewart Mill quote, since we’re all quote happy on this thread here:
“Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.”</p>

<p>Also, about the argument that once you start earning money, and see that your taxes are being deducted, and that helps you become conservative. That just reflects that you cannot or will not view the situation beyond yourself.</p>

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<p>Perhaps it’s about where you go to school, since there are also a lot of conservative kids at my school as well as liberals. You, with your biased generalizations, sound like the type of college kid you are describing. Many of us do have to work because our parents can’t afford tuition, and also some college kids, believe it or not, don’t party every night. Many college kids work and don’t party and still lean toward the left because they choose to follow those ideals. Also, I’ve met a lot of really stupid adults who think they’re wiser because they are older, who think they know better and who think they know everything about a college student’s life. Please don’t make assumptions.</p>

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<p>You’re basically asking “Why are college students so smart?”</p>

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<p>No, he is not.</p>

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<p>OP: why did you come back?.. ughh</p>

<p>anyways, i would say the idea of “all those liberal college students” is a cliche and not actually the case</p>

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<p>Since by liberal I’m assuming you mean left-leaning, favors a large government welfare state, maybe even bona fide socialist, etc., the answer is pretty simple. If you do not appreciate that resources are scarce, that money must be earned by people doing productive things for other people (i.e. a job), that there is no such thing as a free lunch, that redistributing wealth doesn’t <em>create</em> wealth, or that there is some fixed amount of wealth and so when somebody is rich it must mean another person is poor, then it’s easy to fall into the trap of saying “Yes, there should be all of these social services, we’ll just tax the rich to pay for it,” or “that guy’s homeless because of some rich jerk,” et cetera et cetera et cetera…</p>

<p>I’m not necessarily saying that social services ought not to exist, or that collectivism or socialism or wealth-transferring schemes ought not to exist (for that is another debate entirely), but I am saying that mature, serious, thinking people don’t just say “everybody ought to have a job,” or “college is a right,” etc. Mature, serious, thinking people very well may believe in such social services to one extent or another, BUT they recognize that they carry costs and benefits, that they must be paid for and that other things must be sacrificed so that those goals can be achieved.</p>

<p>I’ve personally heard leftists say “don’t look at the cost of social services, just do them,” and “we should do everything we can, even if it doesn’t work.” And so forth. Such childish thinking reveals a lack of reasoning skills.</p>

<p>The other day I saw a paper drawn up by a six-year-old, on what her political platform would be if she were president. And it was all free this and that for everybody. <em>That</em> is immature, and it’s how many college students (and college professors who never matured) think. They don’t have enough appreciation for how the world works to understand that health care, housing, etc. all have costs that have to be paid, that when you require employers to provide “free” this or that, it actually lowers the employees’ pay, and so forth.</p>

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<p>Oh no, I didn’t feed a ■■■■■, did I?</p>

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<p>Actually, since people in college are in college, they are “thinking” people. I think you should stop grouping liberals together, and you should probably realize that everyone knows money exists, and that that doesn’t mean social services shouldn’t exist. Also, drawing a parallel between a six year old and liberals is low, I’m sure your fellow conservatives wont thank you for giving them a bad name.</p>

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<p>“I’m not necessarily saying that social services ought not to exist”</p>

<p>vs.</p>

<p>“I think you should stop grouping liberals together, and you should probably realize that everyone knows money exists, and that that doesn’t mean social services shouldn’t exist.”</p>

<p>Thinking people indeed!</p>