Family Fact: Teen Homosexual Perceptions

Family Quote: Lesbibands?

Family Research Abstract: The Class of 2006

"A Gallup Youth Survey of 1,200 13-17 year old online teens, conducted between January 23 and February 10, 2003, reveals current perceptions regarding homosexuality. Of the teens who attended church in the past week, 71% said homosexuality is caused by upbringing and environment, while 27% said homosexuality is something a person is born with. Of the teens who did NOT attend church in the past week, 54% said homosexuality is caused by upbringing and environment, while 43% said homosexuality is something a person is born with."

(Source: The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, Youth Culture E-Update, Edition #34: March 30, 2003, http://www.cpyu.org/bboard.htm; reporting Gallup Youth Survey, March 18, 2003, http://www.gallup.com/poll/tb/educayouth/20030318.asp.)

"The pop duo Tatu-Russian for 'This girl (loves) that girl'-has long been causing a sensation at home.

But now that the teenagers are also climbing charts around the world, their scanty school-girl uniforms, flirtations with lesbianism and in-your-face sexuality are prompting debate about whether this is the kind of cultural export the land of Tchaikovski and Chekov wants to be known for.

...Britain's The Daily Mail said that they have managed to 'degrade marketing and music at the same time,' while a British TV presenter urged radio stations to ban Tatu, whom critics have called 'pedo-pop.'"  

(Source:  The Associated Press, "Russian duo rises on music charts projecting racy image," in Rockford Register-Star, March 28, 2003, 12D.)

Among a treasure trove of findings concerning those who entered four-year institutions of higher education in 2002 are some mixed messages.  This article, a summary of the findings of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), "The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2002," details a wide variety of statistics, including study and internet habits, continuing grade inflation, and some intriguing social and political attitudes.

Based on the survey responses of 282,549 students at 437 colleges and universities offering four-year degrees, and representing almost 24% of the nation's 1.2 million 2002 freshmen, this report finds that while entering freshmen seem to be growing a bit more politically conservative, their stance on some key family and social issues continues the shift left.

In general, political interest is on the rise, with nearly a third (32.0%) of the incoming freshmen stating that political awareness is a "'very important' or 'essential' life goal, compared with 31.4 percent last year and an all-time low of 28.1 percent in 2000." Nonetheless, this remains far below the all-time high of 60.3 percent reported in 1966.

Political identification is also changing, as the report describes: "Following five consecutive years in which students gravitated toward more liberal political labels, 2002 signals a modest shift back towards more moderate and conservative political orientations."  Only 27.8 percent of freshmen now identify themselves as "liberal" or "far left," down from 29.9 percent in 2001, and those taking the "conservative" moniker constituted 20.0 percent of the freshmen population, up from 19.1 percent in 2001. 

This political conservatism seems to be worked out in a new appreciation of the military: 45.0 percent of students agreed "somewhat" or "strongly," that military spending should be increased, doubling the percentage that agreed with this sentiment in 1993 (21.4 %).  In addition, there was a full 3 percent decrease in the number of freshmen who believed that there is a need for more handgun control, down from 80.8 percent in 2001 to 77.8 percent in 2002.

This slight move to the right is tempered by the continued leftward tilt on social issues, most notably the acceptance of homosexuality on campus: "Support for gay rights reached new heights, with 59.3 percent of freshmen agreeing that 'Same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status,' compared with 57.9 percent last year and 50.9 percent when this question was first introduced on the survey in 1997."  The acceptance of homosexual practice is further described by only 24.8 percent of incoming freshmen agreeing that "It is important to have laws prohibiting homosexual relationships," compared with 50.4 percent agreeing in 1987.

Another indicator of the moral and political schizophrenia exhibited by these new freshmen is the recent increase in support for the legalization of marijuana, now at 39.7 percent, the highest level in 23 years, while cigarette smoking is at an fifteen-year low of 7.4 percent.  Moreover, while pot is OK, and cigarettes are bad, drinking and "partying" are also on the decline: "An all-time low 46.5 percent report drinking beer "frequently" or "occasionally" during the past year, down from 47.1 percent last year and a high of 73.7 percent in 1982."

While the decline of smoking, drinking and partying is no doubt a positive turn of events, more serious transgressions are taking their place: the growing acceptance of marijuana and homosexuality describe a continuing turn against the family and morality, and toward self.  Given researchers' assertion that these seemingly contradictory findings point to the events of September 11, 2001 as being the cause of the slight conservative movement, the conclusion seems simple.  What American young adults seem to want is the safety and security afforded by a strong defense, so that they can continue to practice the prurience of their desires.

(Source: Shaena Engle, "College Freshmen Spend Less Time Studying and More Time Surfing the Net, UCLA Survey Reveals," Higher Education Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, January 27, 2003; a summary report of L. J. Sax, J. A. Lindholm, A. W. Astin, W. S. Korn, and K. M. Mahoney, "The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2002," 2001.