Study: College students' religious beliefs vary by gender, politics

Published: 2004-07-30

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- A new study shows that college students who are strongly religious tend to identify themselves as politically conservative and hold traditional views about sex, abortion, homosexuality and drugs. However, the same college students lean in a liberal direction when it comes to issues such as gun control and the death penalty, according to results released July 28 from "Spirituality in Higher Education: A National Study of College Students' Search for Meaning and Purpose." The results also shows that women report significantly higher levels of spirituality and religiousness than men and are more apt to be involved in charity work. The national study, conducted last year by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, surveyed 3,680 third-year college students at 46 colleges and universities.

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