By Zak Zeinert, Chief Photographer
Two professors conducted surveys among students to ascertain how debates change voter perception at ACU.
Cindy Roper, associate professor of communication, and Kristina Campos, professor of communication, passed out surveys before and after presidential debates as part of a study done by Uvote2008. The next survey is at the final presidential debate on Wednesday night. Participating students will meet in Sherrod Hall.
Uvote2008 is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that conducts research among various colleges and universities to help educate young people on political and civic life.
According to the group’s Web site, its goals are to engage and involve university students in political and civic life; increase the percentage of university students who vote; and provide opportunities for university students to help organize and assist in the political engagement of their peers. The organization also investigates the political attitudes, activities and communication behaviors of university students and uses the results of these investigations to enhance the levels of political information and awareness of university students.
“We study political communication patterns of university-age voters in order to develop programs and messages that enhance the interest and participation of this group,” according to the Web site.
Roper said one of the primary goals is to see how students respond to candidates before and after a debate.
“Students fill out a questionnaire before the debate and after. I send the material to a colleague of mine, and they will enter the data into a stat analysis program along with results from all of the universities participating,” Roper said.
She said they only have done surveys for the vice presidential debate and the presidential debate at ACU, although other schools are researching every debate. Campos has gathered information for the group but does not know the results yet.
“We won’t know the results until everything is over. They won’t be published until after the election,” Campos said. For more information, visit www.Uvote2008.org.
