The Adam Smith Institute has followed up its MORI poll of the 16-21 year-olds (The Millennial Generation, November 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. 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.

The new poll shows considerable differences between universities. 61 per cent of all students state they have never used illegal drugs. This is highest at South Bank (77 per cent), Cambridge (75 per cent) and Warwick (73 per cent). It is lowest at Manchester, with 31 per cent.

Manchester has the highest proportion who use them every day (4 per cent), and once a week (16 per cent). It is highest (with UCL) among those who use them once a month or less (23 per cent). Thus Manchester tops every bracket of illegal drug use, and has the lowest number saying 'never.'

Nearly a third of students (31 per cent) reported having sex "at least once a week." This was 40 per cent at Manchester, which also tops the table of those who do it "every day" (at 9 per cent, or one in every eleven Manchester students). Cambridge also scored 9 per cent for "every day." Manchester also topped the table (at 33 per cent) 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 per cent compared with a student average of 20 per cent).

Although Manchester also scored top in spending on drink, Cambridge students probably drink more. Manchester students spend £25.39 per week on drink, compared with a national average of £20.32, and 80 per cent of Manchester students spend over £10 a week on drink. Cambridge seems lower at £18.02 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.

The average student spends £20.32 per week on drink, £17.90 on entertainment, £11.66 on clothes, £7.43 on personal convenience goods (including CDS, mobile phones, walkmans), and £5.65 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 (£3.30 per week: like drink, they get it in college) and on personal convenience goods (£4.68 per week). Students at the University of Central England spend most on books (£7.56 per week), and most on clothes (£19.47), but 18 per cent of them report spending nothing at all on entertainment.

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

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

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 per cent to 6 per cent they rate a university education as one of the best investments they could make.

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

Iti Saflaia

(Iti Saflaia is the President of Africans for a Free Market Economy)