College Students Are Grappling with Spiritual and Religious Questions, Survey Reveals

Incoming college students are highly interested in spirituality and religion, according to The Spiritual Life of College Students, a new report from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California at Los Angeles. Significant majorities of the students surveyed believe in God, attend religious services, discuss religion and spirituality, and are searching for meaning in life. These students also have "high expectations for the role their institutions will play in their emotional and spiritual development," the report says.

The survey itself presents a complex picture of the beliefs of college students. It found, for example, that there is a strong correlation between religious involvement and views on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion, but that on other divisive political issues virtually no difference exists between religious and non-religious students; that large numbers of students feel strong religious commitment, but that most also express tolerant views of non-religious people and people of other religions; and that while highly spiritual students are more likely to experience psychological distress than others, they also often have better mechanisms for coping with hardship.

HERI's spirituality survey was conducted in the fall of 2004 and included 112,232 freshmen from 236 colleges and universities.

FINDINGS

Profile of Student Spirituality

1. Eighty-one percent of first-year college students at least occasionally attend religious services.
2. Eighty percent are interested in spirituality.
3. Eighty percent discuss religion or spirituality with friends.
4. Seventy-nine percent believe in God.
5. Seventy-six percent are searching for meaning or purpose in life.
6. Seventy-four percent have discussions about the meaning of life with friends.
7. Sixty-nine percent pray.

Spirituality and Political Attitudes

1. Among entering students who show high levels of religious engagement--students who pray, attend religious services, and show other signs of active engagement with religion--political conservatives outnumber liberals by more than three to one.
2. Roughly equal numbers of conservatives and liberals score highly in the areas of "charitable involvement" and "compassionate self-concept."
3. Liberals outnumber conservatives by two to one among those who have an "ethic of caring" and define their spiritual quest in terms of "making the world a better place"; liberal students outnumber conservatives by three to one among those who have an "ecumenical worldview."
4. Students with high levels of religious engagement and spirituality are much more likely than others to oppose abortion, casual sex, same-sex marriage, and the legalization of marijuana. However, large numbers of religious and spiritual students take "liberal" positions on such issues as affirmative action and the death penalty.
5. Highly religious students do not differ considerably from their low-scoring counterparts on issues of race, criminals' rights, the role of women, and gun control.

For more information or to purchase a copy of the survey, visit the Higher Education Research Institute’s Web site.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Four in five college freshmen believe in "the sacredness of life."
• Eight in ten freshmen believe that "non-religious people can lead lives that are just as moral as those of religious believers."
• Four in ten freshmen consider it "essential" or "very important" to "follow religious teachings in everyday life."
• Highly religious and spiritual students are more likely than others to have physically healthy behaviors.