2011 USCA Student Survey--draft 1

Survey of USCA students focusing on political socialization: identities, attitudes, behaviors, knowledge, background, and issue positions.

Complete this survey and you win a chance to have $100 added to your Pacer Card account. It should take about 15 minutes and will help some of your fellow students in their research methods class. Results will be published in the Pacer Times.

Your answers are completely anonymous. After you complete the survey, your answers will be separated from your name. All we will know is if you completed the survey so you will be eligible for the $100 prize. 

 

There are 53 questions in this survey

2011 USCA Student Survey--Issues 5

1 Do you favor or oppose the legalization of marijuana? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  favor oppose have not had time to think about this
 

2 Which of the following comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings? *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • Humans have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process Humans have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process
  • Humans have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process Humans have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process
  • God created humans pretty much in their present form at one time withing the last 10,000 years or so God created humans pretty much in their present form at one time withing the last 10,000 years or so
  • have not had time to think about this have not had time to think about this

2011 USCA Student Survey--Attitudes 1

3 Would you say you follow what's going on in government and public affairs *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  hardly at all now and then some of the time most of the time not sure
 

4 How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  some of the time most of the time just about always not sure
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Parents and Ideology

5 Overall in your household when you were growing up, would you say that your parents followed what was going on in government and pubic affairs *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Most of the time Some of the time Only now and then Hardly at all not sure
 

6 Which of the following comes closest to describing your views on politics? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  liberal slightly liberal middle of the road slightly conservative conservative have not had time to think about this
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Issues 1

7 Do you favor or oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry freely? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  favor oppose have not had time to think about this
 

8 Which of the following best fits yiour views on when the law should permit abortions? *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • completely a woman's personal choice completely a woman's personal choice
  • only in cases of rape, incest or when the mother or fetus has very serious health issues only in cases of rape, incest or when the mother or fetus has very serious health issues
  • only when the woman's life is in danger only when the woman's life is in danger
  • should never be permitted should never be permitted
  • have not had time to think about this have not had time to think about this

2011 USCA Student Survey--Attitudes 2

9 Sometimes government seems so complicated that a person like me can't really understand what's going on. *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Strongly Agree Agree Mixed feelings Disagree Strongly Disagree Have not had time to think about this
Would you

10 Do you think that people in government waste a lot of the money we pay in taxes, waste some of it, or don't waste very much ot it? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  waste a lot waste some don't waste very much not sure
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Issues 2

11 You may have heard about the idea that the world's temperature may have been going up slowly over the past 100 years. What is your personal opinion on this? *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • probably been happening probably been happening
  • probably not been happening probably not been happening
  • have not had time to think about this have not had time to think about this

12 Which of these statements comes closest to your view? Taxes on the wealthy should be kept: *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • HIGH so the government can use their money for programs to help lower income people HIGH so the government can use their money for programs to help lower income people
  • LOW because they invest their money in the private sector and that helps the economy and creates jobs LOW because they invest their money in the private sector and that helps the economy and creates jobs
  • have not had time to think about this have not had time to think about this

2011 USCA Student Survey--Attitudes 3

13 How much do you feel that having elections makes the government pay attention to what people think? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  not much some a good deal not sure
 

14

Do you think that quite a few of the people running the government are crooked, not very many are, or do you think that hardly any of them are crooked? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  quite a few not very many hardly any not sure
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Issues 3

15 Which comes closest to your view on health care? *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • government should make sure that everyone has at least minimal access to health care government should make sure that everyone has at least minimal access to health care
  • government should only provide care for the elderly, poor children, and the disabled government should only provide care for the elderly, poor children, and the disabled
  • the free market should control health care with minimal government regulation the free market should control health care with minimal government regulation
  • have not had time to think about this issue have not had time to think about this issue

16 Which is closer to your view on Social Security? It should be: *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • kept and only make changes necessary to make it financially sound kept and only make changes necessary to make it financially sound
  • phased out and replaced by voluntary savings phased out and replaced by voluntary savings
  • have not had time to think about this have not had time to think about this

2011 USCA Student Survey--Attitudes 4

17 People like me don't have any say about what the government does. *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Strongly Agree Agree Mixed feelings Disagree Strongly Disagree Have not had time to think about this
Would you

18 I think public officials don't care much what people like me think. *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Strongly Agree Agree Mixed feelings Disagree Strongly Disagree Have not had time to think about this
Would you

2011 USCA Student Survey--Issues 4

19 Suppose a person who favors terrorism against the U.S. writes a book that is critical of the U.S.  If this book was in the local public library, would you favor removing it or not? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  remove it not remove it have not had time to think about this
 

20 Which comes closer to your view on government and the economy? Government should *

Please choose only one of the following:

  • be willing to run deficits to try and save jobs and stimulate the economy be willing to run deficits to try and save jobs and stimulate the economy
  • cut spending to reduce the deficit even if that means major cuts in public services cut spending to reduce the deficit even if that means major cuts in public services
  • have not had time to think about this have not had time to think about this

2011 USCA Student Survey--Media 1

21 How many days in the past week did you watch the national news on TV? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 don't know
 

22 How many days in the past week did you obtain national news off the Internet? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 don't know
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Media 2

23 How many days in the past week did you read national news in a traditional printed daily newspaper? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 don't know
 

2011 USCA Student Survey-PID

24 Which of the following comes closest to your party identification? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Democrat leaning Democrat independent leaning Republican Republican some other party
 

2011 USCA Student Survey-Political Information 1

25 Here are a few political information questions. No one is expected to know all the answers. So please do not look them up--we want what you happen to remember when you took the survey.

How many years are in the term of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 don't know
Years

26 How many branches of the federal government are there? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 don't know
Number

2011 USCA Student Survey--Political Information 2

27 What are the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution called?

   Type in the name. Leave blank if you do not know.

Please write your answer here:

 

28 In what year was the the U.S. Constitution written? Type in the year. Leave blank if you do not know.

Please write your answer here:

 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Political Information 3

29 Do you happen to know which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Democrats Republicans not sure
 

30 Do you happen to remember the name of the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court?

   Type in name, last name is ok. Leave blank if you do not remember.

Please write your answer here:

 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Political Information 4

31 What is your home state (where you live when not in school)?

  Type in state abbreviation--for example SC or Va or Ga *

Please write your answer here:

 

32 How about the two U.S. Senator from your home state? Can you name one of them?
 
   A last name is ok. Leave blank if you do not know.

Please write your answer here:

 

33 Can you name the other? Again--leave blank if you do not know.

Please write your answer here:

 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Voting

34 Are you registered to vote? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  yes no too young to register
 

35 Did you vote in the last national election in November 2010? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  yes no was too young at that time
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--College Courses

36 Hve you taken or are you curently taking a college level political science course on American National Government? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  yes no not sure
 

37 Have you taken or are you currently taking a college level course on American History? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  yes no not sure
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Background 1

38 We need to ask a few questions for background information. First, what is your age? *

Please write your answer here:

 

39 In which of the following areas is your major field of study? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  social science humanities/fine arts business education science/math/computer science/engineering nursing undecided/BIS
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Background 2

40 What is your class in school? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  freshman sophomore junior senior
 

41 Your race or ethnicity? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  White or Caucasian Black or African American Hispanic other
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Background 3

42 Gender? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  male female
 

43 What is the highest level of education that either of your parents had? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  less than high school high school degree 1-3 years of college college degree post graduate degree
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Issues 6

44 There continues to be some talk about flying the Confederate Battle Flag on the statehouse grounds in Columbia. Do you think it should be removed or kept there? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  removed mixed feelings kept there have not had time to think about this
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Identifications 1

45 Which of the following comes closest to your mother's party identification?

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Democrat Leaning Democrat independent Leaning Republican Republican some other party not sure
 

46 Which of the following comes closest to your father's party identification? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  Democrat Leaning Democrat independent Leaning Republican Republican some other party not sure
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Identifications 2

47 Do you consider yourself to be a religious fundamentalist? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  yes no not sure
 

48 Which of the following best describes your regional identity? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  non-southern converted southerner native southerner
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Involvement

49 How many student clubs and organizations are you active in right now? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  none--I have no time for them one two three four or more
 

50 How many times in the last week did you attend religious services? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  none one two three or more
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--Time

51 About how many hours a week do you spend in paid employment? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  none 0-4 5-8 9-12 13-16 17-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 over 40
 

52

How long is your commute to campus from where you live? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  I live on campus under 10 minutes 10-20 minutes 21-30 minutes 31-45 minutes 46-60 minutes over an hour
 

2011 USCA Student Survey--GPA

53 What is your current Grade Point Average? *

Please choose the appropriate response for each item:

  none--first semester student 0-0.9 1.0-1.9 2.0-2.4 2.5-2.9 3.0-3.4 3.5-4.0
 

Thanks for completeing the survey! Your name has been intered in the sweelstakes for the $100 prize!
Please submit by 13.10.2011 – 16:00

Submit your survey.
Thank you for completing this survey.