Our Next Leaders: Cool & Confident

New Survey Looks At Student Life

The Adam Smith Institute has followed up its trail-blazing MORI poll of the 16-21 year-olds (The Millennial Generation, Nov 1998) with a new MORI survey of student life and attitudes. The new poll, conducted among nearly 1,000 students in 10 universities, shows them serious about career choices, but quite ready to enjoy the lifestyle that goes with a university education. Success, they think, will depend on their own qualities, and not on external factors. They would like to see universities gain greater independence from government, and by an overwhelming margin, they think a university education is a superb investment.

They are a tolerant crowd, neither racist nor homophobic, and also tolerant of regular drug users. They do not, however, tolerate intolerance, and most of them do not count religious zealots, racists, or members of extremist groups among their friends.

They spend freely on drink, entertainment, clothes and personal convenience goods, but rather less on books. Booze beats books by four to one. At some universities, more than half admit to using illegal drugs within the last year, though this varies between universities. Nearly a third report they have sex once a week, although a fifth of them have not had it at all in the last 12 months.

Manchester: Student dream, parental nightmare?

The new poll shows considerable differences between universities. 61% of all students state they have never used illegal drugs. This is highest at South Bank (77%), Cambridge (75%) and Warwick (73%). It is lowest at Manchester, with 31%. Manchester has the highest proportion who use them every day (4%), and once a week (16%). It is highest (with UCL) among those who use them once a month or less (23%). Thus Manchester tops every bracket of illegal drug use, and has the lowest number saying 'never.'

Manchester for bonks, Cambridge for booze?

Nearly a third of students (31%) reported having sex "at least once a week." This was 40% at Manchester, which also tops the table of those who do it "every day" (at 9%, or one in every eleven Manchester students). Cambridge also scored 9% for "every day." Manchester also topped the table (at 33%) for those who do it "sometimes - once a month or less," but had the lowest score saying they had not done it within the last year (9% compared with a student average of 20%).

Although Manchester also scored top in spending on drink, Cambridge students probably drink more. Manchester students spend 16325.39 per week on drink, compared with a national average of 16320.32, and 80% of Manchester students spend over 16310 a week on drink. Cambridge seems lower at 16318.02 per week, but the difference is that Manchester students mostly drink off campus, whereas Cambridge students usually (and uniquely) drink in college at subsidized prices (typically half the price outside). Thus Cambridge students almost certainly drink more than anyone else.

Books also ran

The average student spends 16320.32 per week on drink, 16317.90 on entertainment, 16311.66 on clothes, 1637.43 on personal convenience goods (including CDs, mobile phones, walkmans), and 1635.65 on books (all books). Thus the average student spends 4 times more on drink, 3 times more on entertainment, and twice as much on clothes as they do on books.

Cambridge students spend least on entertainment (1633.30 per week: like drink, they get it in college) and on personal convenience goods (1634.68 per week). Students at the University of Central England spend most on books (1637.56 per week), and most on clothes (16319.47), but 18% of them report spending nothing at all on entertainment.

Success in life

Asked what influences their career choice, 59% say working with sociable & friendly colleagues. 48% say a high salary. 34% list opportunities for foreign travel. At Central England foreign travel interests only 14%, and at Cambridge fully 35% want work which does not interfere with their social life (!) The top ingredient for success is determination and ambition, say 77% of all students. It is also educational qualifications, say 74%.

Only 19% think it is social background (lowest of all in Cambridge at 10%). A mere 7% think European integration will help them; and even fewer (5%) think that help and support from the government will do anything; only 4% think that increased globalisation of the economy will matter.

More independent universities

By nearly three to one they think that universities would do better running themselves than bureaucrats and politicians do. Similarly, three-fifths think universities should have more control of their own finances. By 86% to 6% they rate a university education as one of the best investments they could make.

Friends

86% have friends from black or ethnic minorities. 57% have friends who are gay or lesbian (this is 84% in Cambridge). Over half, 52%, have friends who are regular drug users (for Manchester and UCL this is 71%). But, only 18% have friends who are religious fundamentalists or racists, and only 10% have friends who belong to extremist parties.

The Next Leaders? by Madsen Pirie and Sir Robert Worcester is available for 16310: published by: Adam Smith Institute 23 Great Smith Street London SW1P 3BL

Technical details

MORI interviewed a sample of 905 undergraduates aged 18+ years. Interviews were carried out face-to-face between 31 May and 18 June 1999 at the following 10 universities in Britain: University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, University Collage London, South Bank University, University of Manchester, University of Warwick, University of East Anglia, University of Wales Institute, University of Central England, University of Southampton.