The September 11 generation: Dr. Drew Pinsky and Ed Goeas examine a profoundly changed camps culture

Women's Quarterly, Spring, 2002

IS IT POSSIBLE to argue that the sixties actually ended in the explosive tragedy of September 11? A new poll of college students suggests that this may well be the case. The data indicate that college students were changed by the events of that day, in ways that may spell doom for the selfish boomer values that have long dominated society. Nearly every student surveyed said that he had been affected by September 11--some had changed their behavior, even praying more or volunteering more. Personal responsibility was rated as one of the most important values.

Most surprisingly, the students, members of one of the groups most self-identified as liberal, gave President George W. Bush high marks--65 percent said they were glad Bush is president; a mere 18 percent still pine for Al Gore.

This could have an interesting impact on American politics for years to come.

The Tarrance Group conducted the poll for the Independent Women's Forum. The data were compiled from 600 telephone interviews with students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. Responses to the survey were gathered between January nineteenth and twenty-fourth.

Ed Goeas, president of the Tarrance Group, and Dr. Drew Pinsky, internist, author, addictions expert, and host of Loveline, the popular radio show, commented on the poll at the National Press Club.

ED GOEAS

PRESIDENT BUSH SAID in his State of the Union address that the age of the "Me Too" generation is over. The findings of this poll may be an early sign that the president is right and that a real change is taking place as a result of September 11.

We learned from the poll that September 11 had a substantial impact on the students surveyed. In fact, 22 percent said it had a "profound" impact on their lives. Another 44 percent described the impact as "noticeable," while 30 percent said there had been only a "slight" impact. Still, if one out of every five students changes his approach to life because of September 11, then there is a real question of what the long-term impact will be as these young people move through life.

When we asked more specific questions, we saw that the students may have been even more affected than they realized. Many said they had changed their behavior: 32 percent reported that they spent more time praying; 22 percent spent more time studying; and 24 percent spent more time volunteering.

We also questioned students about their feelings, asking students to rate their emotional responses on certain matters. On a scale of one to ten, the highest response was compassion for the victims, followed by gratitude for their blessings and determination to protect their country.

NEARLY ALL WANTED TO CHANGE the direction of their lives. The majority--58 percent--said they wanted to be more involved in the community volunteering more, helping more, while 11 percent said they were more motivated in their personal lives and would work harder and study harder. Another 10 percent said they would appreciate more what they have and the people around them. And 10 percent said they would be more compassionate.

Two values scored highest: personal responsibility and the value of family. In fact, each had an over 90 percent response that these were important in their lives.

Patriotism, volunteering in the community and religion all garnered more than 50 percent. In every region of the country, religion was seen as important by 50 percent or more with the exception of two regions: Religion dropped to only 25 percent in the west and 39 percent in the northeast. Two-thirds of self-identified conservatives said religion was either "extremely" or "very important." Among self-identified liberals, this dropped to 38 percent.

We also asked about President Bush's job approval, and the answers were interesting: 75 percent approved of the job he is doing as president. Another 70 percent, when asked if they approved of Bush as a person, said they did. Given 41 percent of the students "strongly approve" of the job Bush is doing, there is some real intensity behind these numbers.

This is a good indicator of Bush's standing in the future; 64 percent of the students both approved of the job he was doing and approved of him as a person. Only 14 percent disapproved of him on both measurements. So George Bush has benefited and has a strong base of support among these students, which is fairly interesting when you look at the ideological leanings of the students.

A lot of people compare George W. Bush to George H.W. Bush at the end of the Gulf War, when he, too, had high ratings that later plummeted.

The difference is that the Gulf War came along after George H. W. Bush had been vice president for eight years and president for two years. Any benefit he received for his image as a leader, based on the Gulf War, was only a small part of how the public viewed him.

But September 11 came along with a very new president. It is such a substantial part of how they now view and define George W Bush; it has created a connection with the nation that three presidential campaigns costing several million dollars could not create.