January 31, 2005 As President Bush's begins his second term, high school students—the future electorate—are eager to convey their views on the nation's role in the world to elected officials on the local, state, and national levels. In 2004, 8,225 students nationwide wrestled with major foreign policy approaches and then participated in an online ballot developed by the Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. The results are now being shared among members of the U.S. House and Senate through the offices of Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and U.S. Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI).
From March 1, 2004, through January 7, 2005, students nationwide took part in "The U.S. Role in the World: Youth Speak Out," a study and discussion program that took place both in class and in extracurricular programs. At the heart of the program are four divergent U.S. foreign policy directions—or Futures:
- Future 1—Lead the World to Democracy
- Future 2—Protect U.S. Global Interests
- Future 3—Build a More Cooperative World
- Future 4—Protect the U.S. Homeland
The Futures were designed by the Choices Program to help students think about a range of possible policy directions and to wrestle with some of the same issues frequently debated in the halls of Congress. No one Future as it was framed in this program reflects the views of any one political party or organization. Each Future includes a set of policies on specific issues, an overview of the beliefs that underlie it, some arguments in support of the position, and some criticisms of it. After working with the four views presented, students were expected to articulate their own.
When ballot results came in, Future 3—Build a More Cooperative World—received the most support from the students, 40 percent compared to approximately 25 percent for both Futures 2 and 4, and 15 percent for Future 1. Consistent with this Future, these students also believe that the U.S. must be a leader in drawing nations together, and play a role in strengthening the United Nations' role in international security and responding to problems around the world. They are twice as likely as their peers to express concern that the U.S. will "act unilaterally and the international community will turn against us."
Future 4 received the next highest support, differentiating themselves from their peers by their fear that the U.S. "will drain its resources trying to solve other countries' problems." Students supporting this view also feel more strongly than their peers that "our resources should be focused on addressing poverty, crime, and budget deficits at home."
Although students held significantly different views on some issues, they shared several common concerns. Almost half are worried that nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons will proliferate and end up in the hands of terrorists. Among the Futures, 43 to 57 percent rated this as one of their top three concerns. More than half support the idea that the U.S. should help negotiate strict international standards to address global warming and other environmental threats even if it costs Americans more. Future 3 supporters show the greatest support for this issue (66 percent compared to 48 percent of their peers).
"The internal consistency of student responses was impressive," said Susan Graseck, director of the Choices Program. "The ballot respondents were not a self-selecting group. Rather, most were assigned the online ballot by their teachers as part of their course work. The consistency demonstrates that these high school students—the new electorate for the 2008 elections—can wrestle with conflicting policy alternatives and then frame their own considered judgments with clarity. This is an encouraging sign for the future."
"The U.S. Role in the World: Youth Speak Out" is part of Choices Program's long-time commitment to engage students on the secondary level in a range of international issues. The Choices Program provides a vehicle for secondary-school students to grapple with significant international issues and encourages a renewal of civic engagement among American youth. The program incorporates cutting-edge scholarship into curriculum resources on a wide range of international topics, provides professional development for teachers, and organizes educational programs for students.
The data in this report is based on completed student ballots. Most participating in the student ballot had used the Choices curriculum unit, "The U.S. Role in a Changing World," in the classroom, as part of their participation in the Choices Program's Capitol Forum on America's Future, or in Youth Circles sponsored by The People Speak. Ballots were entered online between March 1, 2004 and January 7, 2005.
For a printed report and more information about this ballot, visit Choices website.