Miscellaneous Questions: Section 1

MISCELLANEOUS
Scroll down or click on "Question" to see the poll results for that question.

Section 1: Miscellaneous

America's Future Strength
Question 1: In determining America's strength in the future, say 25 years from now, how important do you feel each of the following factors will be: developing the best education system in the world, developing the most efficient industrial production system in the world, building the strongest military force in the world? (Asked in: 1982, 1984, 1988, 1991.)
[Code: 242-MisAX-1]

Confidence in American Institutions
Question 2: How much confidence do you, yourself, have in these American institutions to serve the public's needs: the church, the public schools, the courts, local government, state government, national government, labor unions, big business? (Asked in: 1980, 1998.)
[Code: 265-MisCX-2]

Dropouts: Driver's Licenses and Dropouts
Question 3: As a way of keeping students in high school, one state has passed a law that takes away driver's licenses from school dropouts under age 18. Would you favor or oppose such a law in this state? (Asked in: 1991.)
[Code: 248-MisDD-3]

Graduation: Driver's Licenses and Graduation
Question 4: In your opinion, should students be required to graduate from high school in order to be issued a license to drive a car? (Asked in: 2012.)
[Code: 938-MisGD-4]

History: Adequately Taught?
Question 5: In your opinion, is U.S. history being taught more accurately and realistically than when you were in school, or not? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 251-MisHI-5]

History: Taught in a Balanced Way?
Question 6: In your opinion, is U.S. history being taught with too much emphasis on the positive aspects of the nation's history and its successes, too much emphasis on the negative aspects of the nation's history and it failures, or with about the right balance? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 252-MisHT-6]

Personal Information About Students
Question 7: Some educators say that the public schools could do a better job of educating students if they had more personal information about the home situations of students, for example, whether the parents are divorced, whether there is a family history of alcoholism, or whether there are other factors that put the student at risk. Assuming that the information is kept confidential, do you think that the public schools in this community should or should not have access to more personal information about students than they now have? (Asked in: 1990.)
[Code: 260-MisPX-7]

Predictions
Question 8: As you look ahead to the year 2000 (that's 17 years from now), what do you think the schools will be doing then to educate students? Do you think the students will have access to a computer and be trained to use it? Do you think that more importance will be given to vocational training in high school? Do you think that more attention will be given to teaching students how to think? Do you think that what is now covered in the first two years of college will be covered before graduation from high school? Do you think that more attention will be given to individual instruction? Do you think children will start school at an earlier age - such as 3 or 4 years old? Do you think that taxpayers will be willing to vote more favorably on bond issues and give more financial support to the schools? Do you think that the school program will cover 12 months of the year -- with less time for holidays? (Asked in: 1983.)
[Code: 261-MisPX-8]

Private Contracting
Question 9: Are you in favor or opposed to the school board in your community contracting with local businesses to provide the following: School bus and other transportation services, school building and facilities maintenance, food services, running the entire school operation. (Asked in: 1996, 2001.)
[Code: 262-MisPX-9]

Question 10: Do you favor or oppose an idea now being tested in a few cities in which private, profit-making corporations contract to operate schools within certain jurisdictions? (Asked in: 1994, 1999.)
[Code: 263-MisPX-10]

Question 11: Would you favor or oppose a plan in which your local school board would contract with private profit-making corporations to run the entire operations of the public schools in your community? (Asked in: 2002, 2006, 2007.)
[Code: 264-MisPX-11]

Student Activities: Time Spent on Four Activities by Better Versus Poorer Students (Reported by Student)
Question 12: Thinking only of the last school day, which you mentioned above, how much time did you spend? (High school juniors and seniors reported:) (Asked in: 1974.)
[Code: 295-MisST-12]

Student Activities: Time Spent on Four Activities by Better Versus Poorer Students (Reported by Parent)
Question 13: Thinking about this child, how much time does this child spend in these various ways on a typical school day in the hours when he/she is not in school? Parents of public school children reported: (Asked in: 1974.)
[Code: 294-MisST-13]

Student Success: Success in High School and College
Question 14: Just your impression -- how close a relationship do you feel there is between how high a student's grades are in high school and how academically successful he or she will be in college? Do you feel the relationship is very close, fairly close, not very close, or not close at all? (Asked in: 1990.)
[Code: 293-MisSS-14]

Student Success: Success in High School and in Later Life
Question 15: Just your impression -- how close a relationship do you feel there is between how good a student's grades are in high school and how successful he or she will be after completing school, that is, in an occupation or profession? Do you feel the relationship is very close, fairly close, not very close, or not close at all? (Asked in: 1990.)
[Code: 292-MisSS-15]

Working Students: Part-Time Work
Question 16: In your opinion, are the opportunities for young people to obtain part-time jobs in this community good, only fair, or poor? (Asked in: 1978.)
[Code: 256-MisWP-16]

Question 17: Many high school students now work long hours at jobs outside of school. What effect do you think this has on their academic achievement - do you think this usually hurts their academic achievement, usually helps their academic achievement, or doesn't it make much difference? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 257-MisWP-17]

Question 18: Do you think the public high schools in this community should or should not make recommendations to high school students about the kinds of outside jobs they should take and the number of hours they should work? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 254-MisWP-18]

Question 19: Do you think the public high schools in this community should or should not offer duplicate courses in the afternoon and at night for working students? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 255-MisWP-19]

Question 29: Do you think the public high schools in this community should or should not give academic credit in certain areas for work experience? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 253-MisWP-20]

Question 21: What effect do you feel having a part-time job outside of school has on the academic achievement of students in the public schools in this community? Generally speaking, do you feel having a part-time job improves their academic achievement, hurts their academic achievement, or do you feel it does not affect their academic achievement one way or the other? (Asked in: 1997.)
[Code: 258-MisWP-21]

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POLL RESULTS

National Totals
Very Important
Year	Developing the Best Education System in the World %	Developing the Most Efficient Industrial Production System in the World %	Building the Strongest Military Force in the World %
1991	89	59	41
1988	88	65	47
1984	82	70	45
1982	84	66	47

Year: 1998
	Great Deal/Quite a Lot %	Great Deal %	Quite a Lot %	Some %	Very Little %	None (Volunteered) %	Don't Know %
The church or organized religion	57	30	27	27	11	3	2
Public schools	42	16	26	35	20	2	1
Local government	37	13	24	41	20	1	1
State government	36	13	23	45	17	1	1
Big business	31	13	18	42	22	2	3
National government	30	11	19	43	22	2	3
Criminal justice	29	12	17	37	30	4	*
Organized labor	26	13	13	39	28	3	4
*Less than one-half of 1%.

Year: 1980
	Great Deal %	Fair Amount %	Very Little %	None (Volunteered) %	Undecided %
The church	42	40	15	2	1
The public schools	28	46	20	3	3
The courts	19	45	28	5	3
Local government	19	51	23	4	3
State government	17	52	24	4	3
National government	14	47	31	5	3
Labor unions	17	38	30	9	6
Big business	13	42	36	5	4

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	Already Have Such a Law (Volunteered) %	Don't Know %
1991	62	32	1	5

	National Totals			Public School Parents
Year	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %
2012	47	53	0	47	52	1

History: Adequately Taught?
Question 5: In your opinion, is U.S. history being taught more accurately and realistically than when you were in school, or not? (Asked in: 1995.)
[Code: 251-MisHI-5]

	National Totals
Year	More Accurately %	Less Accurately %	No Difference %	Don't Know %
1995	33	37	8	22

	National Totals
Year	Too Positive %	Too Negative %	Right Balance %	Don't Know %
1995	17	18	48	17

	National Totals
Year	Should %	Should Not %	Don't Know %
1990	60	32	8

Predictions
Question 8: As you look ahead to the year 2000 (that's 17 years from now), what do you think the schools will be doing then to educate students? Do you think the students will have access to a computer and be trained to use it? Do you think that more importance will be given to vocational training in high school? Do you think that more attention will be given to teaching students how to think? Do you think that what is now covered in the first two years of college will be covered before graduation from high school? Do you think that more attention will be given to individual instruction? Do you think children will start school at an earlier age -- such as 3 or 4 years old? Do you think that taxpayers will be willing to vote more favorably on bond issues and give more financial support to the schools? Do you think that the school program will cover 12 months of the year -- with less time for holidays? (Asked in: 1983.)
[Code: 261-MisPX-8]

Year: 1983
	Yes %	No %	Don't Know %
Do you think that all students will have access to a computer and be trained in its use?	86	6	8
Do you think that more importance will be given to vocational training in high school?	76	11	13
Do you think that more attention will be given to teaching students how to think?	70	16	14
Do you think that what is now covered in the first two years college will be covered before graduation from high school?	65	19	16
Do you think that more attention will be given to individual instruction?	53	32	15
Do you think children will start school at an earlier age -- such as 3 or 4 years old?	51	37	12
Do you think that taxpayers will be willing to vote more favorably on bond issues and give more financial support to the schools?	45	36	19
Do you think that the school program will cover 12 months of the year -- with less time for holidays?	33	53	14

Year: 2001
	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
School bus and other transportation services	75	23	2
School building and facilities maintenance	75	23	2
Food services	75	22	3
Running the entire school operation	26	72	2

Year: 1996
	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
School bus and other transportation services	75	20	5
School building and facilities maintenance	79	17	4
Food services	81	15	4
Running the entire school operation	34	59	7

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
1999	41	54	5
1994	45	47	8

	National Totals
Year	Favor %	Oppose %	Don't Know %
2007	31	66	3
2006	24	69	7
2002	31	65	4

Student Activities: Time Spent on Four Activities by Better Versus Poorer Students (Reported by Students)
Question 12: Thinking only of the last school day, which you mentioned above, how much time did you spend? (High school juniors and seniors reported:) (Asked in: 1974.)
[Code: 295-MisST-12]

Year: 1974
AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT	None %	Minutes Spent (Median) %	Minutes Spent (Mean) %
Reading Not Connected With Homework
Top of class	30	17	29
Above average	53	5	24
Doing Homework
Top of class	32	30	52
Above average	43	29	44
Looking At Television
Top of class	31	50	80
Above average	23	100	102
Listening To Radio
Top of class	23	41	70
Above average	22	50	85

Student Activities: Time Spent on Four Activities by Better Versus Poorer Students
Question 13: Thinking about this child, how much time does this child spend in these various ways on a typical school day in the hours when he/she is not in school? Parents of public school children reported: (Asked in: 1974.)
[Code: 294-MisST-13]

Year: 1974
AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT	None %	Minutes Spent (Median) %	Minutes Spent (Mean) %
Reading Not Connected With Homework
Top of class	11	35	53
Above average	26	29	44
Lower half	34	20	28
Doing Homework
Top of class	15	57	68
Above average	22	40	57
Lower half	27	30	39
Looking At Television
Top of class	10	97	97
Above average	8	94	94
Lower half	9	127	145
Listening To Radio
Top of class	39	27	59
Above average	43	28	56
Lower half	40	29	53

Student Success: Success in High School and in College
Question 14: Just your impression -- how close a relationship do you feel there is between how high a student's grades are in high school and how academically successful he or she will be in college? Do you feel the relationship is very close, fairly close, not very close, or not close at all? (Asked in: 1990.)
[Code: 293-MisSS-14]

	National Totals
Year	Very Close %	Fairly Close %	Not Very Close %	Not Close at All %	Don't Know %
1990	25	51	13	4	7

	National Totals
Year	Very Close %	Fairly Close %	Not Very Close %	Not Close At All %	Don't Know %
1990	21	49	19	5	6

	National Totals
Year	Good %	Only Fair %	Poor %	Don't Know/No Answer %
1978	28	39	25	8

Question 17: Many high school students now work long hours at jobs outside of school. What effect do you think this has on their academic achievement -- do you think this usually hurts their academic achievement, usually helps their academic achievement, or doesn't it make much difference? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 257-MisWP-17]

	National Totals
Year	Hurts %	Helps %	Not Much Difference %	Don't Know %
1989	43	29	23	5

	National Totals
Year	Should %	Should Not %	Don't Know %
1989	62	32	6

	National Totals
Year	Should %	Should Not %	Don't Know %
1989	50	43	7

Question 20: Do you think the public high schools in this community should or should not give academic credit in certain areas for work experience? (Asked in: 1989.)
[Code: 253-MisWP-20]

	National Totals
Year	Should %	Should Not %	Don't Know %
1989	75	19	6

	National Totals
Year	Improves Achievement %	Hurts Achievement %	Does Not Affect Achievement %	Don't Know %
1997	29	32	35	4

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Last modified August 6, 2012
k_q_misc_1.htm