Changing Students Religious Attitudes on a College Campus in 2016 and 2024

• In Event: Electoral Shifts among Key Constituencies

Abstract

This paper will compare student attitudes toward religion and politics on a college campus during the 2016 and 2024 election cycles. A 37 item survey was distributed to students in 2016 that explored their religious attitudes. The same instrument is being distributed on the same southwestern university campus in 2024. Among other things, the differences between the two years give an indication of how significantly emerging trends appear to be influencing more recent cohorts of college students. Students were asked about their religious affiliations, interest in religion, and whether they identify as "born again." These questions were complemented by a serious of questions that asked respondents how they feel about former President Trump, global warming, and other timely issues. Recent scholarship on politics and religion has noted that students have recently become less likely to express an interest in religion. How do these "nones" differ from their more religious students? Does the passage of 8 years appear to be associated with more (or less) interest in the environment? This paper will complement existing scholarship with this examination of changing attitudes on a single college campus.

Author

• William De Soto, Texas State University