Student Council Poll Reveals Most Students Show Interest in Religion

Most undergraduates are strongly interested in religion and religious questions, but this interest comes less from organized religious groups than from the University atmosphere, a Student Council poll has revealed.

A decisive majority of those polled affirmed the necessity of religion as a factor in life. In response to the question, "Do you feel that you require some form of religious orientation or belief in order to achieve a fully mature philosophy of life?" 90 out of 147 chosen at random replied yes, and only 34 said no.

The majority of undergraduates, however, do not attend church regularly, the poll found. Only 41 percent of those who answered indicated that they went to church frequently during the school year.

Questions concerning the existence and nature of God are consistently important to undergraduates and have become increasingly so during their higher education. Virtually 80 percent of those polled said that the nature of God was at least of "considerable" importance to them, and more than 75 percent said this concern had increased since they had entered college.

With College Comes Insight

The same is true of religious experiences, or "personally moving spiritual insights," which over 36 percent of those answering found at least "considerably" significant, and 75 percent said had increased in value during college.

Informal discussions and lower-level Humanities courses ranked as the strongest stimuli of religious interest; religious, social service organizations and upper-level courses in the Social and Natural Sciences were least influential.

The total effect of the University on religious beliefs was generally considered positive by the respondents. Fifty-four said that their total college experience had "helped to restate (their) beliefs in a more tenable religious philosophy; as replied that their original skeptical attitudes had been strengthened; and only 12 thought that their positive beliefs had been weakened.