Bush's approval rating drops among students
A Harvard study says Bush has a 41 percent approval rating among students.
Published Dec. 2, 2005
As President Bush's approval rating continues to drop, a recent study by the Harvard University Institute of Politics shows that college students are losing confidence in their president.
The study, released on Nov. 16, showed Bush had a 41 percent approval rating among college students. Although this is just above the president's national approval rating of 40 percent, it is an all-time low for college students.
The study also showed that college students have historically low trust for government officials.
College Democrats President Megan Block said it was surprising for President Bush's poll numbers to be so low among college students, because they tend to be more conservative. However, she attributed the downward trend to the war in Iraq.
"I think that a lot of students that follow the news realize that the reasons that he said we were going to war aren't necessarily the reasons we're there," she said.
The study showed 62 percent of college students are in favor of a partial or complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, a number that is nine points higher than the national average.
Freshman Amanda McCambridge said she thinks, given the circumstances, Bush has done "an excellent job" dealing with the Sept. 11 attacks, natural disasters and the war in Iraq. She said she trusts the president to make the right decisions, most of the time.
"He should know more than I should," she said.
Professor of political science Rick Hardy said a college student's environment might have something to do with his or her political opinions.
"I find that most professors tend to be very critical of whoever is in office — especially if they are a Republican or a conservative — and that might rub off on students," he said.
He added that though many students take classes in which the professor criticizes Bush, they aren't all just taking on the opinions they hear around them.
"Anyone of college age tends to be more guarded or critical than when they were younger," he said. "College is a period when students begin to question many things they've been told over the years and question authority."
The study indicated that 70 percent of college students think government officials are motivated by selfish reasons and that the same number of students think politicians have different interests than they do.
Block said scandals such as Watergate under the Nixon administration, the dishonesty of other, more recent, presidents and the news media focusing on scandals involving Republican officials have helped to feed people's cynicism toward government officials.
"It's always important for politicians to do outreach in their constituencies and to make sure they're honest and that their record is clear," she said. "Corruption and scandal and all those things that happen in politics don't really help people to trust politicians."
Hardy said the mistrust might stem from a lot of issues.
"When times are bad, people think more about politics and become more critical," he said.
High energy prices, uncertainty about tuition hikes, the economy and international affairs, terrorism and the war in Iraq all were issues Hardy said could cause people to become more cynical of government officials.
Although the study showed that 58 percent of college students think the country is headed in the "wrong direction," Hardy also said the last election showed a growing rift between the role of government and the direction the country is headed and that the lack of a middle ground could add to a mistrust of officials.