42% of Dartmouth Seniors Say They Don’t Believe in God

Today I received the latest issue of Dartmouth Alumni magazine to discover inside an interesting poll of graduating seniors at my alma mater. Long branded a conservative campus–with notable right wing alumni from the 1980s including Dinesh D’Souza and Laura Ingraham–perception these days doesn’t seem to fit the reality of the student body.

According to the survey, when asked “Do you believe in God?,” 42% of those surveyed answered “No.” When then asked “Have your religious views changed while you’ve been at Dartmouth?,” 25% answered “Yes.”

In terms of partisan identity, among seniors surveyed, 55% considered themselves to be Democrats, 31% independent, and 13% Republican.

When asked to choose among a list of issues, “What concern will be most critical to your generation?,” the environment was tops at 47%, followed by Middle East relations at 22%, and social security at 13%.