Surveys have been undertaken annually on various topics by the Levitt Center through the auspices of the Levitt Council in order to give students some "real world" experience in designing and conducting preliminary attitude polls. Knowledge Networks and Zogby International conducted the final polls.
December 12, 2011
An often ignored demographic group, American young people, say that the top two causes of poverty are a lack of jobs (83.7 percent) followed by a lack of health insurance (64.3 percent) according to a new national survey of young Americans’ attitudes on poverty, released on Dec. 12. More than two thirds (67.7 percent) also cited the growing incomes of the wealthiest people as negatively affecting the quality of life of those with lower incomes. The full results of this survey are available online and were presented by webcast at www.hamilton.edu/poverty. Almost three-quarters of respondents (73.8 percent) intend to vote in next year’s presidential elections. More...
May 11, 2011
The Levitt Center funded a survey of young people’s attitudes toward race, ethnicity, and religion in the spring of 2011 by students in Professor Phillip Klinker’s Survey Research seminar. In recent years, the topics of race, ethnicity, and religion have played increasingly important roles as Americans have grappled with the diversification of American life. Indeed, a quick survey of the headlines--from the controversy over an Islamic cultural center in New York City, to debates over immigration, to continuing misinformation about President Obama’s citizenship and religion--indicates the relevance of these issues to contemporary politics. More . . .
Press Release
Complete Report
April 29, 2010
The survey of high school students' attitudes toward the U.S. economy and the performance of President Obama revealed significant difference in attitudes on both issues between African-American and white teens. Two-thirds of African-American teenagers believe they'll be more prosperous than their parents. In contrast, a little more than a third of white students believe their standard of living will be better than their parents. More ...
February 6, 2007
It's an inconvenient truth that would make Al Gore shudder: Despite an increasing emphasis at school and in the media on the causes and effects of global climate change, most American high school students don't adequately understand the issue, according to a national telephone survey of 900 students conducted with Zogby International. More ...
January 5, 2006
Researchers at Hamilton College in collaboration with the polling firm Zogby International conducted The National Youth Hot Button Issues Poll. High school seniors were selected for this eighth in the Hamilton Youth Poll series as representatives of a rising generation of Americans and potential voters in November 2006. One thousand high school seniors from across the U.S. were contacted by phone for this study of attitudes on abortion, guns and gays. The poll was funded by Hamilton's Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percent. More ...
March 20, 2003
A majority of high school seniors support military action to remove Saddam Hussein from power and believe that President Bush is "too anxious to go to war" according to a poll released by the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center at Hamilton College and Zogby International. More ...
February 19, 2003
Despite believing that immigrants enhance our society, few Americans favor increasing immigration, according to a new national poll conducted by researchers at Hamilton College and Zogby International. The Hamilton Immigration Opinion Poll finds that more than 4 in 10 Americans favor decreasing immigration levels. Results also indicate that concerns over national security outweigh support for immigration increases. More ...
May 30, 2002
Nearly 75 percent of Muslim Americans either know someone who has or have themselves experienced an act of anti-Muslim discrimination, harassment, verbal abuse or physical attack since September 11, according to a national survey released May 30 at the National Press Club. The Muslim America Poll by Hamilton College and Zogby International, shows that almost two out of three Muslims believe that the FBI questioning and arrests of Muslims in the U.S. after Sept. 11 are unwarranted abuses of civil liberties. The poll of 521 Muslims living in America was developed by Hamilton College and administered by Zogby International. More ...
August 27, 2001
Two-thirds of this year's high school graduates favor legal recognition of gay marriages, a view shared by just one-third of the adult population. According to a Hamilton College poll of high school seniors, the class of 2001 sides with gays on contentious issues from gay marriage to gay Scoutmasters. Comparisons with recent adult polls reveal that the graduates are consistently more liberal than older Americans on gay issues. But the poll also revealed that many graduates doubt they would be comfortable with gays in common social situations. And the Hamilton researchers found a solidly anti-gay minority, about 30 percent of the graduates, who have negative attitudes toward gays and conservative opinions on most gay issues. More ...
October 2000
"Cynical" is a word often used to describe the political attitudes of young Americans. But when asked if they thought politicians were corrupt or dishonest, New Yorkers ages 18-24, were much more optimistic than their peers nationwide, according to a recent survey sponsored by the Levitt Public Affairs Center. The study was conducted by Hamilton College students in a government class led by Prof. Philip Klinkner with the aid of survey experts, Zogby International. This New York survey was a follow-up to a national poll and examined young New Yorker's attitudes about politics and the senate race. More ...
Auguest 2000
Nine out of 10 American high school students support key handgun control proposals, according to a new poll conducted by researchers at Hamilton College. The Hamilton College Youth and Guns Poll is the first national survey to probe high school students' attitudes toward gun issues. This survey of more than 1,000 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors was designed and analyzed by Hamilton Sociology Professor Dennis Gilbert and his students. It was wholly funded by Hamilton's Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center and administered by the polling firm Zogby International. More ...
Press Release
Analysis
Appendix
In 1999, the Arthur Levitt Center Public Affairs Center released its survey of the Racial Attitudes of Young Americans in conjunction with the NAACP and Zogby International. The survey, developed by the students in Government 340 (Race and American Democracy) and supervised by Professor of Government Philip Klinkner, was designed to gain a better understanding of some of the issues and trends in American race relations that might confront young people in the next century. The press conference announcing the results was carried live by C-SPAN. The survey was also widely reported in the national media, including stories on NPR, BBC, and CNN, and in the Los Angeles Times, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the Christian Science Monitor, the New York Post, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Times, among many others. More ...
