1999 Freshman Survey Results - Higher Education Research Institute

• Record numbers of the nation's freshmen feel high degree of stress
• Academic disengagement continues to rise
• High school grade inflation soars
• Drinking and smoking continue their decline
• Commitment to social activism down
• Growing interest in teaching and the arts

Record numbers of the nation's freshmen feel high degree of stress

A significant percentage of today's college freshmen are a stressed-out lot who, like many members of the older generation, worry about making ends meet and completing all the tasks confronting them, results of UCLA's annual survey of the nation's first-year students show. 

The survey also finds that female students report suffering from stress at a rate nearly double that of their male counterparts. 

The fall 1999 survey conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA's Graduate School of Education & Information Studies finds a record-breaking 30.2 percent of freshmen feel "frequently overwhelmed by all I have to do." That compares with 29.6 percent in 1998 and continues an upward trend in freshman stress levels that began in 1985, when only 16 percent of survey respondents reported feeling stressed.  

A record 24.7 percent of freshmen also report "some" or a "very good" likelihood that they will work full time while in college, a possible contributor to their high levels of stress, said the survey's director, UCLA Assistant Education Professor Linda J. Sax.

"This is a reflection of an increasingly fast-paced society, made more so by computers and other media," Sax said. "Students feel more competition, they're applying to more colleges than ever before, they're worried about having to work during college. That can be overwhelming."  

Broken down by gender, 38.8 percent of women say they feel frequently overwhelmed, compared with 20 percent of men. This gap might be explained by other survey results, including one showing 69.6 percent of women being concerned they might not have enough money to finish college, compared with 57.2 percent of men.

In addition, stress levels may reflect how men and women spend their time. According to the survey, women tend to spend more time than men studying, doing volunteer work, participating in student clubs or groups and tending to housework or child-care responsibilities. Men, on the other hand, spend more time than women exercising or playing sports, watching television, partying or playing video games. 

"These findings suggest that women spend more time than men on goal-oriented and potentially stress-producing activities," said Sax. 

Now in its 34th year, the UCLA survey is the nation's longest-standing and most comprehensive assessment of student attitudes and plans. The survey is conducted in continued association with the American Council on Education and serves as a resource for higher education researchers throughout the world. 

The fall 1999 survey included 364,546 students at 683 of the nation's two- and four-year colleges and universities. Data culled from 261,217 of those students at 462 institutions have been statistically adjusted to be representative of the 1.6 million freshmen entering college as first-time, full-time students last fall.

Here's a sampling of other survey results and major trends since the first freshman survey in fall 1966: 

Academic disengagement continues to rise 

The survey finds that school is failing to hold the attention of a growing percentage of students. A record-high 39.9 percent of freshmen report feeling frequently "bored in class," up from 37.7 percent in 1998 and a low of 26.4 percent in 1985. Also up in 1999 was the percentage of students who say they "came late to class" frequently or occasionally (62.6 percent - an all-time high), and "overslept and missed class or (an) appointment" (36.2 percent).  

A record-low 31.5 percent of freshmen say they spent six or more hours a week studying or doing homework in their last year of high school, compared with 32.9 percent in 1998 and 43.7 percent when the question first was asked in 1987. In 1999, a full 40.2 percent of students say they studied fewer than three hours a week and 17.1 percent studied less than one hour a week.  

Researchers say one consequence of academic disengagement may be a growing percentage of students requiring remedial courses in high school. The percentage of those taking remedial courses in mathematics and foreign languages is at an all-time high (12.7 percent and 5.1 percent respectively); for science, the percentage is at a 20-year high (5.1 percent); and for English, reading, and social studies, it's at a nine-year high (6.3 percent, 5.6 percent and 4.0 percent respectively). Overall, the percentage of freshmen taking at least one remedial course in high school (18.3 percent) is up by more than half since 1982 (12.0 percent). 

 UCLA education Professor Alexander Astin, founding director of the survey, noted, "Although these percentages are relatively small, they represent hundreds of thousands of students nationwide. Our findings underscore the need for colleges and universities to find more effective ways to accommodate the growing numbers of students who may be coming to college academically under-prepared." 

High school grade inflation soars 

Even as students report academic disengagement, their grades apparently are going through the roof. A record-high 34.1 percent of freshmen say they finished high school with an A average compared with 32.4 percent in 1998 and a low of 12.5 percent in 1969. Conversely, only 12.0 percent of freshman report a C average or lower, compared with 13.4 percent in 1998 and a high of 32.5 percent in 1969. 

Ironically, the survey shows evidence of more and more students being held back a grade as school districts shed the practice of social promotion. An increasing percentage of freshmen are beginning college at age 19 (27.9 percent in 1999, up from 26.3 percent in 1998) instead of the standard 18 years of age. The numbers are even greater for male students alone, with one in three (33.2 percent) starting college at 19 compared with fewer than one in four women (23.4 percent). 

"While one might suspect that this trend means that more students are delaying college entry, the fact is that more first-time, full-time student than ever (a record 95.4 percent) are entering college directly after graduating from high school," said Sax. 

Drinking and smoking continue their decline 

Drinking beer and smoking cigarettes are losing popularity on campus, with beer drinking at the lowest levels in the history of the freshman survey. Just over half of incoming freshmen (50.7 percent) say they drank beer frequently or occasionally in the past year. That's down from 51.6 percent in 1998 and from a high of 75.2 percent in 1981.  

"This drop in casual drinking offers college administrators a tremendous opportunity to direct students away from the binge drinking that sometimes develops during the college years," Sax said.  Following a decade-long increase in smoking, the percentage of students who smoke cigarettes is down for the second consecutive year (14.2 percent compared with 1998's 15.8 percent). In addition, students are spending less time partying, with 30.1 percent of freshman reporting spending six or more hours a week partying, compared with 31.2 percent in 1998 and 36.9 percent when the question first was asked in 1987. 

Commitment to social activism down 

Volunteerism in the high school years continues to climb, with a record 75.3 per cent of freshmen saying they did volunteer work in their senior year. However, long-term goals for activism are on the decline. 

The percentage of those feeling it is very important or essential to "influence social values" fell to 35.8 percent, its lowest point since 1986.  Also dropping in importance is the desire to participate in community action programs or to become a community leader.  

"Given this overall decline in students' inclination to get involved," Astin said, "college officials might well want to consider expanding their service-learning programs, which represent the one area where student involvement seems to be on the increase."

Growing interest in teaching and the arts

Despite their declining academic engagement and activism, some students are indicating a desire to make a difference by way of their careers. 

Interest in elementary and secondary teaching rose to its highest level in more than 30 years, with 11.2 percent of freshmen - 15.7 percent of women and 5.6 percent of men - planning a career in education. Those numbers remain significantly lower than the all-time high in 1968 of 23.5 percent of all freshmen.

"Students tell us they're more interested in their local communities where they feel they can make a difference, as opposed to the national political scene where they feel powerless," said Sax. "I see the interest in teaching reflecting that view."  

Interest also is growing in the arts and humanities, with a record number of students aspiring to become artists or performers. In addition, the percentage of students planning to major in the fine arts (5.4 percent) rose to its highest level in 22 years and the percentage of humanities majors (3.1 percent) reached its highest level in 27 years.

"Given that arts instruction has been on the decline in many of our public schools, it is reassuring to see this resurgence of interest on the part of students," Astin commented. 

UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute has conducted the nationwide freshman survey since 1973. Since the survey's inception in 1966, more than 9 million students at more than 1,500 institutions have participated.  

For a summary of the survey, visit www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/heri.html.

Copies of the 34th annual report, titled "The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1999" (Sax, L.J., Astin, A.W., Korn, W.S., & Mahoney, K.M. 1999), are available to members of the public for $25 (prepaid plus $4.79 for the first book and 40-cents for each additional book for shipping) from the Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, 3005 Moore Hall, Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1521. 

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