Everybody wants to know what college students are thinking, especially educators and marketers. What do they like? What are they like?
The surveyors at Student Monitor, a market-research firm, are among those trying to peel back the layers on the minds that so many people invest so much in courting. The firm’s latest research, based on interviews with 1,200 full-time students at four-year institutions, confirms some stereotypes while defying others.
I, for one, welcome our future overlords. Going into the new year, here are some things we (think we) know about today’s college students.
1. They love Apple.
Love, love, love it. Possibly more than you thought they did. Asked to name the first brand they could think of, 25 percent of students said Apple. That’s twice as high as the second-place brands, Nike and Coca-Cola.
Among technology brands, Apple’s dominance was even more notable. Asked what kind of laptop they would buy if money were no object, 55 percent of the students said an Apple MacBook, more than five times as many as said the next-most-coveted make and model. Similar questions about smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers garnered similar results: a sweep for Apple.
Late in its survey, Student Monitor asked students to name what’s “in” on campuses. The top answer was the iPhone, which prevailed over drinking coffee, drinking beer, texting, working out, volunteering, and hooking up.
Apple’s famous “1984” Super Bowl ad, in which the company’s champion throws a big hammer into a giant screen that has captivated the masses, has never felt more ironic.
2. Print is not dead to them.
Today’s college students, much like most professionals, feel comfortable in front of a screen. A majority said they preferred a digital format when reading, studying, taking notes, and doing problem sets. That preference for digital was most emphatic when it came to doing research, with 92 percent of students saying they preferred working on a screen.
That said, a substantial portion of students said they preferred to do those course-related activities with paper and ink—about 40 percent, depending on the activity.
Those students came of age in the smartphone era, but they are still accustomed to learning with analog course materials;. Only 10 percent of them ever used an electronic textbook in high school, and although many of them are now aware of e-textbooks, only 26 percent have bought one. Some common reasons they gave for not buying e-textbooks were that screens make their eyes tired, working on a computer makes them prone to distraction, and it’s easier to mark up a printed page than a digital one.
3. They’re not that into Twitter.
If you’re one of those people who worry that young people are being numbed to complexity by Twitter’s 140-character limit, you can stop worrying now. Only 26 percent of respondents said they used Twitter. Among social-networking sites, that’s miles behind Facebook (90 percent) and Instagram (64 percent).
So, instead of worrying that social networking is making students dumb, worry that it’s making them sad.
4. They think libraries and computer labs are swell.
Students are concerned about the cost of going to college. Two-thirds of survey respondents said the cost of college was “excessive,” and nearly that many identified it as one of the biggest problems on the campus. But among the campus buildings and services that contribute to that cost, students believe libraries and computer labs are giving them the most for their buck.
That might come as a surprise to people who assumed that physical library stacks and dedicated computer terminals would be considered relics by a generation raised on laptops and the Internet. More students reported being satisfied with their libraries (64 percent) and computer labs (54 percent) than they were with other campus facilities, including athletics centers, student unions, cafeterias, health services, and career centers.
5. They have not ditched scholarly works for Wikipedia.
Professors might not disdain Wikipedia as much as they used to, but some might still worry that students are relying on the free, user-edited encyclopedia. Good news for them: Only 49 percent of respondents said they had used Wikipedia. A smaller group, 28 percent, said they visited the site regularly.
