From Derek Chauvin’s trial to school-life balance, here are this week’s top college student insights.
Derek Chauvin’s Trial
The third week of the Derek Chauvin trial is under way in Minneapolis, where witnesses and experts have testified about the death of George Floyd. A new survey of 650 undergraduates finds that a majority (55%) are following the trial to some degree, though students of color are more likely than white students to report following the court proceedings (62% vs. 49%).
Almost 6 in 10 (56%) students overall believe the death of George Floyd amounts to murder, compared to about one-quarter (27%) who say it was negligence on the part of the officer. Just 5% of students say Floyd’s death was an accident and 2% say the officer did nothing wrong. However, students of color are more likely to say Floyd was murdered. Two-thirds (67%) of students of color classify Floyd’s death as murder, compared to half (48%) of white students.
What is your personal view on the circumstances around the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis?
Students of color are also more likely to report hoping Chauvin’s trial ends in a conviction. Three-fourths (76%) of students of color say they want to see the former police officer convicted, while 60% of white students say the same. Overall, two-thirds (67%) of students report hoping to see a conviction.
Life Skills
Only 1 in 10 (11%) students say their high school curriculum included life lessons such as how to file taxes, while an overwhelming majority (84%) say they wish their high school curriculum did. Students who attended public high schools are twice as likely as those who attended private schools to say the curriculum included these life skills (12% vs. 6%).
School-Life Balance
Working from home over the past year has left many people feeling like they live at work — and college students are no exception. In a new survey of 838 students, 72% agree that the pandemic has blurred the lines between their personal and work/school lives. There is a gender gap, though. While 80% of female students say the pandemic has made work-life balance more difficult, 62% of male students say the same.
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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.
