Less Than 10% of Students at America’s Top Private High School Identify as Conservative, Poll Reveals
According to the latest edition of an annual poll conducted at Massachusetts’ prestigious Phillips Academy Andover, less than 10% of students identify as conservatives at one of America’s top private high schools. The poll, titled State of the Academy, aimed to measure students’ political demographics and beliefs. The survey achieved an 81% participation rate, with 931 respondents.
Out of the total number of students, only 8.6% self-identified as conservatives, while 2.7% identified as libertarians. In contrast, 38.9% identified as liberals, 6.1% as socialists, 1.9% as communists, and 13.3% as independents. The second-largest group, after liberals, consisted of students who declared themselves as unsure, accounting for 26.5% of the respondents.
Interestingly, the poll revealed that an overwhelming majority of conservatives at the school, 94.7%, confessed to engaging in self-censorship. Additionally, 70.8% of libertarians claimed to self-censor, while only 33.2% of liberals and 31.5% of socialists admitted to the same behavior.
In terms of changes in political beliefs over the past year, 62.7% of respondents said their beliefs had remained the same, while 19.8% had shifted to the left, and 17.5% had moved to the right. It is worth noting that 88.6% of respondents believed that there was a left-leaning political bias on campus.
Regarding news sources, the top five preferences among students were the New York Times, CNN, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC.
The poll also delved into students’ views on various social and political issues. When asked about their stance on abortion, only 1.9% of students opposed it, while 18.9% believed in allowing it under certain circumstances. The majority, 79.2%, were in favor of always granting the right to abortion. Notably, male respondents were less supportive compared to their female counterparts, with 65.3% advocating for abortion as an inherent right, compared to 88.4% of women.
Moreover, the poll explored students’ perceptions of racism. It found that just 34.4% of respondents believed that white people could experience racism. However, a slightly higher percentage thought that white people could experience racism, with Asian and white respondents at 37.5% and 37.2%, respectively.
When it came to affirmative action, 80.2% of students expressed their support. Interestingly, 75.5% of Asians and 95.9% of black respondents approved of such policies.
The poll also showed overwhelming support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with 91.1% of students in favor and only 8.9% opposed. When it came to the prison and police systems, 8.6% of students favored the abolition of the current prison system in the United States, while 64% believed in its reform. Similarly, 67.4% of students advocated for alterations to the police system, although the survey did not specify the specific policy changes they endorsed.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents, 73.5%, believed that it should be easier to immigrate to the United States, while only 2.8% believed it should be more difficult.
Regarding gun laws, 92.7% of respondents felt that they should be stricter. Surprisingly, only 14.2% of students mentioned that someone in their household owned firearms.
The poll also explored students’ sexual and romantic orientations. The results showed that 64.7% identified as heterosexual, 5.2% as homosexual, 17.4% as bisexual, 7.9% as queer, and 5.2% as pansexual. Additionally, 2.8% identified as asexual, 2.3% as demisexual, and 5.7% as questioning.
In conclusion, the poll conducted at Phillips Academy Andover highlighted the prevailing political demographics and beliefs within the student body. While a small percentage identified as conservatives, the majority leaned toward liberalism, socialism, or identified as independents. The poll shed light on issues such as self-censorship, changes in political beliefs, news sources, abortion rights, perceptions of racism, support for affirmative action and the Black Lives Matter movement, opinions on the prison and police systems, immigration, gun laws, and students’ sexual and romantic orientations. The results provide a valuable snapshot of the diversity of perspectives within the student community at one of America’s most prestigious private schools.
