A SURVEY OF STUDENTS’
POLITICAL ATTITUDES
INSTRUCTIONS: For each item,
indicate the response that most closely
reflects your attitude.
1. As part of its effort to combat terrorism, the government
should have the authority to indefinitely detain persons it
believes might have information about terrorist activities,
even if the person himself or herself is not suspected of
engaging in terrorist activities.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
2. Tax rates should be higher for wealthy families than
moderate income families while rates for lower income
families should be lower.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
3. A professor at a public college or university who admits to
being an Islamic fundamentalist should be fired.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
4. The government ought to reduce the income differences
between the rich and the poor by raising the taxes of
wealthy families or by giving income assistance to poor
families.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
5. To better fight crime, requirements that law enforcement
agencies respect the rights of criminal suspects should be
eased.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
6. Graduated income tax brackets punish people who work
hard to earn higher incomes.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
7. An adult should be allowed to use pornography as a form of
entertainment.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
8. Because capital gains taxes [taxes on profits from stocks,
etc.] discourage investment, capital gains tax rates should
be lowered.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
9. Communities should have the power to regulate the sale of
rock and rap recordings which offend community standards
or morals.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
10. The government should provide tax breaks for families
with young children to subsidize day care expenses.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
11. The government should not interfere with a woman’s
access to abortion services.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
12. Government should guarantee access to health care for
Americans who cannot afford private insurance or whose
employers do not provide health coverage.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
13. A person should be allowed to burn an American flag as a
form of political speech.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
14. Congress should enact regular increases in the minimum
wage.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
15. Non-sectarian or non-denominational prayer should be
instituted as daily practice in public schools.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
16. The government needs to enforce stricter laws and
regulations to protect environmental quality even if it means
higher costs for businesses and consumers.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
17. Parents should be allowed to educate their children in their
own homes.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
18. Poverty relief (welfare) programs promote dependency
among their recipients and should be scaled back.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
19. The death penalty is an appropriate sentence for
defendants convicted of murder.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
20. Government should provide subsidies to students to
increase their opportunities to receive college educations.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
21. Prostitution is a victimless crime and should be
decriminalized.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
22. Financing public schools by local property taxes is
inequitable; the state should establish a funding formula to
redistribute funds from wealthy to poorer districts.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
23. Penalties for illegal drug possession should be
strengthened.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
24. Government should have more authority to pass laws that
guarantee equality among races and between sexes even if it
means restricting the ability of private businesses to hire
whom they want or the ability of private clubs to choose
whom they want to admit.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
25. A person’s sexual orientation is his/her personal business;
laws that discriminate against homosexuals should be
repealed.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
26. Universities and colleges should be allowed to limit their
athletic programs to men’s sports.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
27. Communities should have the authority to establish
curfews for teens to combat juvenile crime.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
28. Government-mandated affirmative action and equal
employment opportunity programs constitute reverse
discrimination and should be discontinued.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
29. The police should not be allowed to randomly check
motorists for DUI/DWI; police should be required to have
probable cause.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
30. The government should provide low-interest loans to
encourage female or minority-owned business enterprise.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
31. To reduce the number of handgun-related crimes, handgun
owners should be required to register their weapons with the
government.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
32. The government should increase efforts to enforce equal
compensation laws relating to women in the workplace.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
33. The government should pass laws limiting the amount of
violence that children are exposed to in the entertainment
media (television, movies, video games, etc.).
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
34. American citizens should have the right to make
contributions to the political candidates and political parties
they support without financial limitations imposed by the
government.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
35. Public school children should be required to recite the
pledge of allegiance as part of the daily school regimen.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
36. In order to permit the widest choices and lowest prices for
American consumers, the government should pursue free
trade policies with other countries.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion Disagree
0
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3