The Class of 2000: A Definitive Survey
of the New Generation

CBS News with Text by Carolyn Mackler
Preface by Dan Rather
Simon & Schuster
eBook, $9.95

You Might Not Find What You Expect:
Interesting findings from the Class of 2000

The Class of 2000 was divided into five sections: "Looking Ahead," "The Lives They Lead," "Morality and Behavior," "The World Around Them," and "The Technological Future." Each new section brought interesting and sometimes surprising revelations. I found the following four points particularly striking.

• There is an unfortunate racial division between technology haves and have-nots. Whereas only 8% of all white students polled did not have computers at home, 14% of Hispanics and a dismal 35% of African Americans reported not having them. If technology is the future then this lack of access for minorities seems to point to a continued educational divide between the races.
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• Students who considered religion to be very important to their lives reported lying, cheating, and stealing significantly less than the rest of the student population. For example, while 30% of non-religious students reported shoplifting, only 12% of those who considered themselves religious indicated this behavior.
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• Students from single parent homes were 20% more likely to engage in sex than those where the students lived with both parents.
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• Students do not seem to perceive tragedies like the Columbine shootings as something they have to worry about. An enormous 96% of students said they felt safe at school. Nonetheless, 22% of seniors say that "...at least some students at their schools frequently carry a weapon." Many felt the main problem faced by their class was not violence but drugs and alcohol.
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