When Election Day arrives, you’ll finally get to go to the polls to express your opinion about candidates, amendments and local issues. But, how much of that opinion is truly yours and how much is influenced by your parents? Studies have shown that during the early years of a child’s life, parents have the greatest influence over the formation of attitudes and opinions. The big question is, how much of that influence do we really carry into adulthood? For students Chas Davis, Sarah Bidmead and Phillip Rolfe, the answer may be surprising.
Phillip Rolfe SophomoreBusiness Registered Non-Party Affiliated
? The War in Iraq: “I think that Iraq is just a hell hole at this point and we need to finish it out.”The parents’ view: “I’d assume my parents would agree with me.”? Gun Control Laws: “I don’t necessarily think we need more gun control laws; I think we need better gun control laws.” The parents’ view: “They would say exactly what I just said.” ? Tax Policy: “I don’t think the Personal Income Tax should be raised if you’re not making too much money.” The parents’ view: “My money is their money, so yeah, they would agree with me.”? Party Affiliation: Non-party affiliatedThe parents: Registered Democrats? The Vote: “I’m voting Obama.”The parents: “They’re voting for Obama.”
Sarah BidmeadGraduate Student PsychologyRegistered Democrat
? The War in Iraq: “I would say, get out of Iraq.”The parents’ views: “My mom would agree with me and my dad would disagree.”? Gun Control Laws: “I think gun control is a good thing and I would probably vote in favor of more laws.”The parents’ view: “I think my mother would definitely agree with me. I’m not sure about my father, I think he would probably agree also.” ? Tax Policy: “I think [taxes] should be allocated differently.”The parents’ view: “Yeah, they would probably agree with me.” ? Party Affiliation: Registered DemocratThe parents: “My dad is registered Independent and my mom is registered Democrat.”? The Vote: Bidmead intends to vote for Obama.The parents: ” I think my dad is probably going to vote for McCain and my mom is going to vote for Obama.”
Chas DavisSophomoreOcean EngineeringRegistered Independent
? The War in Iraq: “I think we should take care of what we started.”The parents’ view: “I think my parents would agree.”? Gun Control Laws: “I think gun control should be regional.”The parents’ view: “I think they would feel that how [gun control] is, is okay.”? Tax Policy: “They probably need to be raised.”The parents’ view: “My parents would probably disagree with me because they pay a lot more [taxes] than me.”? Party Affiliation: IndependentThe parents: “I think my mother is Republican and my father is Independent.”? The Vote: Davis is leaning toward McCain.The parents: “Probably McCain.”
Consideration or Coincidence?
Based on our survey, it appears that FAU students and their parents do have like opinions on the majority of issues. “For the most part I agree with my parents,” said sophomore Phillip Rolfe. This trend of students and parents having similar opinions follows right along with the trend in national public opinion data. But do students think their parents influence how they vote? “Probably, yes,” says sophomore Chas Davis, but grad student Sarah Bidmead says, “Nope, not at all.” Whether by intention or chance, students are clearly influenced by how their families view certain issues. So the question is this: what do you bring to the polls?
