Nov 6, 2008 / 23:08 pm
A new survey from the Cardinal Newman Society’s (CNS) Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education finds that most students on Catholic campuses show an inconsistent adherence to their Catholic faith and often reject sexual morality and Catholic teaching on abortion.
While about thirty percent of Catholic students surveyed reported that their faith had increased in their time on campus, slightly more than half reported no change and more than ten percent reported a decrease.
“A clear majority of respondents who were Catholic in college still report no impact or a negative effect on Catholic belief and practice,” the report states.
CNS commissioned QEV Analytics to conduct the survey, which claims a plus or minus 4.4 percent margin of error. The 506 respondents to the survey included 251 current students and 255 recent graduates or attendees under 30 years of age. Survey questions asked whether a respondent somewhat or strongly agreed or disagreed with a statement, but the report does not distinguish those who strongly agree or disagree from those who somewhat agree or disagree with a given statement.