From students’ views on Afghanistan to their feelings about the pandemic, here are this week’s top college student insights.
Afghanistan
The world’s eyes are on Afghanistan this week after the Taliban took control of the country. A recent College Pulse survey of 1,073 undergraduates finds that only 1 in 6 (17%) believe U.S. involvement and military force was justified in the War on Terror in Afghanistan. By comparison, 63% of students say U.S. military involvement was justified in World War II and 46% say it was justified in World War I. The Iraq War (10%) and Vietnam War (9%) are the only major conflicts with less support among today’s college students.
However, young Republicans are significantly more likely than their peers to support America’s actions in Afghanistan that began in 2001. About 4 in 10 (41%) of college Republicans say U.S. involvement in the War on Terror in Afghanistan was justified, compared to just 9% of college Democrats. Male students are also more likely than female students to say so (27% vs. 10%).
U.S. involvement and use of military force was justified in which of these conflicts?
Pandemic
Pandemic burnout is real, but a survey of 653 undergraduates finds that a majority (63%) strongly agree that we are still in the middle of a pandemic while 6% strongly disagree. However, more than one-quarter (28%) of Republican students strongly disagree that the United States is still in a pandemic, compared to just 2% of Democratic students and 4% of Independent students.
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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.
