When compared to a similar study of high school seniors conducted 22 yearsago, The Hamilton College-Levitt Survey of High School Seniors reveals majorshifts in cigarette use, political perspectives, gender attitudes andeducational goals.
The new Hamilton-Levitt survey, based on a nationwide sample of over 1,000high school seniors, examines the ambitions, attitudes and values of the Classof 1998. It covers topics ranging from college plans and family values tocigarette smoking and political views.
Since it focuses on many of the same topics addressed in a 1976 University ofMichigan survey, the Hamilton-Levitt survey offers a unique opportunity tocompare the attitudes of the so-called "Baby Boom" generation with those oftheir offspring, the "Boomer Babies," says Hamilton Professor of Sociology andSurvey Director Dennis Gilbert.
The Class of 1998
Most (76%) of today's high school graduates say they plan to enter college inthe fall. This response was remarkably consistent among males and females,blacks and whites, high and low income households, good and
mediocre students, and all regions of the country. "Such consistency," saysGilbert, "represents an almost universal recognition among these seniors thattheir high school diplomas are not worth much in today's job market."
Looking to the future, most of the seniors interviewed for the poll describethemselves as "optimistic" about their own prospects for earning "enough tolive comfortably" (80%) and forming a "happy, stable marriage" (76%). But theyare less certain about the prospects for the country as a whole. Mostgraduates describe themselves as "unsure" or "pessimistic" about the futurecapacity of the U.S. economy to provide "plenty of good paying jobs" (63%) andthe "prospects for successful marriages" among their peers.
When asked what they considered most important in life, today's graduatingseniors want to maintain strong family ties. They also are much moreinterested in finding an interesting job than a high-paying one, and they prizesuccess in marriage over most things.
Baby Boomers (The Class of 1976) vs. Boomer Babies (The Class of 1998)
Although many of today's high school students have tried cigarettes, they aremuch less likely to smoke than the Baby Boomer generation. Only 10% of theClass of 1998 reports smoking one-half pack or more per day, compared with 22%of the Class of 1976.
Politically, the Boomer Babies of the Class of 1998 are more Republican andmore conservative than their parents' generation. The proportion ofRepublicans has increased from 39% to 45% and of self-identified conservativesfrom 19% to 27%. But, like the Boomer Class of 1976, the Class of 1998 is moreDemocratic than Republican (55% to 45%) and more liberal than conservative (35%to 27%).
The most notable change between the two classes is the political gender gapthat has opened among high school seniors. In the Class of 1976, males
and females were similar in their politics. Among this year's seniors, maleswere more or less evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats and betweenliberals and conservatives, while females leaned strongly toward the Democratsand liberalism.
The Class of 1998 is, predictably, much less attached to traditional familyroles than the Class of 1976. In 1976, a majority of seniors agreed thatpreschoolers were "likely to suffer" if their mothers work and that familiesare better off if men are "the achievers" and women are the homemakers. By1998, these majorities had melted away. Virtually all of this year's graduatesbelieve that housekeeping and child care duties should be shared equally whenboth parents hold full-time jobs.
Nevertheless, few members of the Class of `98, of either sex, agreed with aquestionnaire item suggesting that "it might be a good idea" for the husband ofa higher-earning spouse to devote himself to child care. This year's seniorsare quite ready to concede men's positions to women, but they are apparentlyuncomfortable with the notion of "Mr. Mom."
Finally, the Boomer Baby seniors have much higher educational goals than theirBaby Boomer parents. Seventy-seven percent of the graduates interviewed forthe Hamilton-Levitt poll said that they intend to get a four-year collegedegree, compared to only 50% of seniors interviewed in 1976.
About the Survey
For the Hamilton College-Levitt Survey of High School Seniors, a nationwidesample of 1,006 seniors were interviewed by telephone between May 29 and June4. A sample of this size is considered accurate within plus or minus threepercentage points. To achieve more representative results, the data wereweighted for sex and father's education.
The survey was designed by Hamilton College Professor of Sociology DennisGilbert and his students, and analyzed by Professor Gilbert. Support for thisproject was provided by a grant from the college's Arthur Levitt Public AffairsCenter. The telephone calls were made by Zogby International.
