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Catholic College Students Behaving Badly
The results of a new national survey of students at Catholic colleges and universities are dismal--that is, if one expects students at Catholic institutions to develop a moral sense that is distinct from the surrounding culture.
Five years ago, a survey made the rounds indicating that undergraduate students at American Catholic colleges became more, not less, opposed to Catholic teaching over the course of a four-year education. The students surveyed by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA attended 38 Catholic colleges and universities.
The criticism from the national Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) was that the results were not necessarily representative of all 208 Catholic undergraduate institutions, but neither the ACCU nor any other source has since produced such a survey. So The Cardinal Newman Society has now delivered what is believed to be the only public, nationally representative data on students at the nation's 208 undergraduate Catholic institutions.
The survey, conducted by Steven Wagner of QEV Analytics in Washington, D.C., looks at a sample comprised of half current students and half recent students under the age of 30. Most respondents reject key Catholic moral teachings, and many engage in behaviors that the Catholic Church considers to be serious sins:
o Nearly one of every five respondents knows another student who had an abortion or paid for one.
o Three out of five agreed strongly or somewhat that abortion should be legal.
o 46 percent of all respondents said they had premarital sex in the last year they attended a Catholic college.
o 57 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that same-sex "marriage" should be legal.
o 78 percent said that using a condom to prevent pregnancy is not a serious sin.
The majority of respondents said that their experience at a Catholic college or university did not increase their respect for the Vatican and the Catholic bishops, did not increase their support for Catholic teachings, and did not increase their own participation in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. Instead the experience simply had no impact on their affinity for the Catholic Church. About one in 10 respondents reported a decline in support for Catholicism.
Perhaps the most surprising result, which deserves further study, is the distinction between male and female students:
o Female students were more likely to report having engaged in premarital sex in their last year at a Catholic college: 50 percent versus 41 percent of the guys.
o Female students were less likely to attend Mass weekly (46 percent versus 62 percent of the men), go to confession at least once a year (56 percent versus 69 percent of the men), or pray at least daily (48 percent versus 57 percent of the men).
o The women more strongly supported legalized abortion (65 percent versus 53 percent of the men), even though there was little disagreement on the immorality of abortion (62 percent versus 65 percent).
Pope Benedict XVI told college presidents gathered at The Catholic University of America last April:
"Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution's life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual."
That's not what students find at many American Catholic colleges and universities--indeed, many professors at Catholic colleges would disagree strenuously with such obligations. The consequence for students is a lack of ethical and moral formation that once characterized Catholic institutions. This survey provides ample evidence of that, and how college leaders respond will say much about their commitment to a distinctive Catholic identity.
Read the full report on the survey.
Patrick J. Reilly is president of The Cardinal Newman Society, a national organization to renew and strengthen Catholic identity at Catholic colleges and universities.
By Patrick J. Reilly |
November 12, 2008; 12:17 PM ET
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Posted by: jbuettner2 | November 13, 2008 10:35 AM
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Not terribly suprising, Mr. Reilly. The Catholic Church fails to see anything beyond what the Bible says. It fails to acknowledge the possibility that there exists faith in God beyond and outside the confines of the Bible (a book written by man, then promoted by other men as the only word of God)
Young minds by nature (hence God) are designed to question and doubt for good reason. So that they may grow and not stagnate. Does the Church ever question itself that its philosophy of human sexuality is off track? Perhaps these young minds see the same hippocracy that other past Catholics have. Maybe the problem is not the teachers but rather the limited doctrine views? Unfortunately these young people have realized, as many before have, that the Church is no longer about providing a path to God, but rather control of the masses and power.
Posted by: job22 | November 13, 2008 9:36 AM
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Job22:
"Hippocracy"? What's that? A government run by horses? Job22, not only is your spelling atrocious, your comment is so simple-minded, I wouldn't know where to begin, but suggest that a complete K-16 education might be helpful to you.