An inaccurate Kirkland clocktower emerges amid campus vegetation, as captured on Sept. 13, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/Royce Yang)
A majority of the Class of 2028 identified themselves as liberal, with 57% of students responding as such. This is a decrease from last year’s first-year survey, in which 63% of the Class of 2027 identified as liberal in some way. Approximately 21% of the Class of 2028 said they were conservative in some way, and 22% said they identified themselves as somewhere between the two political ideologies.
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
Students were asked about various controversial political issues. Among students who identified as liberal in some way, the legalization of abortion and gun reform were the most popular issues, with 93% and 94% expressing support, respectively. About 61% of liberal students also supported the provision of gender-affirming care to minors, while only 19% of conservative students said the same. Conservative students also supported gun reform (60%) and abortion (42%), and 23% said they agreed with including legacy status as a factor in the admissions process.
POLITICAL ISSUES BY PARTY
The Class of 2028 also responded to questions about their level of support toward political issues on campus, specifically concerning the abolition of Greek life, the administrative policy of principled neutrality and divestment from fossil fuels. Over 53% of students expressed support for divestment, while 67% of respondents said Vanderbilt should not get rid of Greek life on campus. A majority of students responded favorably toward the policy of principled neutrality, with 68% of students saying they agree with the administration’s maintenance of this position.
STUDENT OPINIONS ON CAMPUS POLITICAL ISSUES
With the 2024 presidential election in the fall of their first year at Vanderbilt, a majority of students in the Class of 2028 said they vote regularly — 54% vote in their home state, while14% said they vote in Tennessee. Only 6% said they were registered but did not vote, and 11% said they were eligible but not registered. Over 53% of students said they planned to vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris and 11% expressed support for President Donald Trump.