Will Young Voters Engage in Higher Numbers Next Year?

That "numbness" does not change for many, despite the length of the Iraq conflict and the growing number of U.S. casualties, until someone they directly know is a causality of the war.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

"I always thought the war was a bad idea, but having a friend there personalized it," said Laiah Idelson, a junior at American University. "Then someone from my high school who I was not friends with was killed there, and that brought the war to my community. Unfortunately it seems that people need to have the war come to them in order to care. I think the troops should come home and America needs to recognize its mistake. I thought this before my friend went, but it is a more urgent thought now that he's there."

Those who have served in Iraq gave a very different perspective of the war. "Undoubtedly, not only do I know people that have served, I too have served twice in Iraq," said Brandon Frazier, a sophomore at American University. "While there I had no knowledge, or opportunity to gain knowledge, of what was truly going on in the country I was fighting in. Now being back in the U.S. and out of the Marine Corps I feel that there have been many mistakes in the made by the Administration in Iraq."

Other respondents expressed concern that the Iraq war was distracting policymakers from tackling problems in the United States.

"The war in Iraq is the beginning of the deterioration of our homeland," said Matt B. Cohen, a senior at Rider University. "Important domestic issues have been ignored in favor of fighting a vague, undefeatable opponent, such as terrorism and dictatorships."

Students also responded to questions on their views on social issues, specifically same-sex marriage and reproductive rights. Overall, respondents considered themselves to be supporters of abortion rights (about 50 percent), with about 27 percent of the respondents identifying themselves as being opposed to abortion. But students said it was only somewhat important (about 46 percent) if the presidential candidate disagreed with his or her views on reproductive rights.

Respondents greatly favored same-sex marriage at about 76 percent, but again only said it was somewhat important, about 45 percent, if the candidate for president disagreed with his or her views.

The environment was the only response in that series of questions that students said it was very important if the president disagreed with his or her views, about 51 percent.

Recently, political debate over health care and possible reforms to the systems has increased. The surveyed students overwhelmingly said, with about 81 percent, health care is an important issue to them personally. About 84 percent of respondents then said the number of uninsured people in the United States is an important issue personally.

"I am an aspiring physician, so health care is very important for me," said a male senior biology major at Duke University who asked that his name be withheld. "Costs are too high, coverage is too limited, and prevention is too underemphasized. Republicans' constant reference to a fear of 'socialized medicine' has in recent years prevented any kind of health care reform that can really help Americans."

But not all respondents thought health care should be revamped.

"This is the land of opportunity, not entitlement," said a male senior political science major at Johns Hopkins University who did not wish to be identified further. "The government should stay out of health care. ... The current programs are good, but they should be privatized so the taxpayers' money does not go to that."

Credits

The American University Politics and the Media Class is made up of 25 upperclassmen studying in the university's School of Communication and School of Public Affairs. They are Hannah Bergman, Chris Billeter, Maggie Brink, Tim Caron, Cory Conzemius, Cait Douglas, Roddy Flynn, Kendra Garstka, Sarah Hord, Katie LaPotin, Brian Levine, Sarah Mathews, Cate Minichino, Sidney Olinyk, Daniel Pineda, Norma Porter, Alexander Rony, Melissa Rosenberg, Sam Roth, Bettina Sferrino, Kate Stasik, Kate Sullivan, Marc Tomik, Andrew Violante, and Stacia Young.