Bad news for conservatives this election year.
A recent survey found college freshmen hold more liberal political and social views. Support for same-sex marriage showed the highest increase among other hot-button issues.
The survey, from the University of California, Los Angeles, showed that 71.3 percent of first-year students support same-sex marriage, a 6.4-point increase from 2009.
The study showed that students' self-identification with liberal, conservative or moderate values remained the same.
The survey predicts opposition to same-sex marriage will soon be a minority opinion, since 42.8 percent of self-described conservatives support it.
Kenneth Wald, UF political science professor, studied public attitudes toward gay rights. He said UF students reflect the survey's conclusion.
Wald was part of the Provost's Committee on Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender Concerns for six years. He said that because UF has such a diverse student body, the campus has become more open-minded. When Wald joined the committee in 1999, he said, most LBGT faculty members hid their sexual orientation, and domestic partnership was unpopular for gay couples.
"This is just not as abstract as it used to be," he said. "Encountering people with these real-life issues has made young people more sympathetic."
Erin Murphy, president of the UF College Democrats, said time spent under the Obama administration has popularized more liberal viewpoints.
"Young people are really aligned with the president's view on issues," Murphy, 21, said. "The leaders of the right are definitely not opening up."
Matt Pesek, second vice chairman of UF College Republicans, said he wasn't surprised to hear college freshmen are becoming more liberal.
However, he said, he's troubled by the extremity of liberal thought among UF students, as shown by pro-Palestine demonstrations in Turlington Plaza.
"You can't condemn anyone. It's getting more out of hand," he said. "It is getting kind of ridiculous."
Pesek, 19, said that while most Republicans are against gay marriage, some are in favor of civil unions. However, he said, the strong Christian morals of the Republican Party will always align it against gay marriage.
"I'm not in favor of gay marriage, but I totally accept homosexuals," he said.
Daniel O'Sullivan, president of UF College Libertarians, said he hasn't noticed any difference in the campus's political climate since he came in 2010.
But, he said, "I would believe it. I would say that young people today are more accepting of other people's choices, and I hope that trend continues."
O'Sullivan, 20, said he thought students' increased access to more information has allowed them to develop more knowledgeable opinions.
"Young people are more informed and have realized they shouldn't have arbitrary positions against abortion and gay marriage."
