Brigham Young University Idaho

How much do BYU-Idaho students know about current events?

Communication 280 Communication Research Fundamentals

July 22, 2014
Joana Ribeiro, Alexa Knutson, Aubrey Nielson, Veronica Arroyo, Steven Dance

Abstract
For our research project we wanted to find out how many BYU-Idaho students know
about current events and what is going on in the world around them. We randomly sent out
surveys to 300 students. The surveys contained 18 questions that were about American politics,
foreign politics, and popular culture. As a group, we came up with the questions and created it
using Qualtrics.
From the surveys we found out that most students acquire their news through news
apps and through social media which include Twitter and Facebook. Utilizing a Likert scale, we
asked them to rate their knowledge of how much they know about the news. However, only less
that 40% of the students felt that they knew about current events. But more than half of our
fellow peers claimed that they spent less than 15 minutes a day looking at and reading the
news.
When testing them on the political figures, we provided pictures and asked them to fill in
who the figure was and if they did not know, we asked them to simply write that they did not
know. The majority of the surveyed individuals knew more about American political figures than
foreign political figures, but most knew more about popular culture than the other two topics.
From our findings we were able to conclude that a majority of students attending BYU-Idaho do
not generally know much about current events. Alas, the information that they do know pertains
to pop culture through social media.

Literary Review
Students are consuming less news than ever before. There are many factors that affect
this statement including the different ways we can consume media now. College students are
aware of the importance of knowing current events. However, studies found that most of those

who agree to that statement and the students who consider themselves to be knowledgeable
do not necessarily correlate. This has to do with the lack of students actually consuming the
news. Students think that it is important to be informed, but they arent always caught up with
the news [1]. There can be a lot of contributing factors to the reason why students are not aware
of the news going on around them, such as lack of time.
It is proven that when individuals are in their early twenties, they form their news
consumption habits, around the time young people leave for college. Internet use is woven into
the fabric of their daily lives. It is the primary source used by teachers for students to study for
their classes and receive their material. Student communities use the Web for news as well as
for entertainment, though they tend to lean more towards entertainment, based upon our
research. Although most of the college students incorporate news consumption in their lives,
they are not consuming news at the rates of older people [2].
The internet makes it easy for both the serious and casual consumer of news to get
ahold of information. And because of how easy it is to get the news online, consumers will
create a habit of going to the same places to get their news. There are so many places to get
news from that when consumers find a medium they like - whether its TV, radio, newspaper, or
internet -they will return repeatedly, thus forming a stronger habit. College students are less
likely to read a newspaper or watch a network news station. Our study shows that college
students are more dependent on the internet for their news consumption. The Web is students
main source of finding news, and is usually accessed through their smart phones. This provides
students with an easy and fast way to acquire the news [2]. This also effects the amount of
news they receive because on smart phones because the news is in an easy to read and
usually summarized format, so it is much faster to go through the news on your phone, but not
always the most informative.

Many researchers have proven that the older and more mature the students get, the
greater their knowledge of current events. Older students understand the importance of being
knowledgeable and thus spend more time getting informed [3]. A recent study showed a
significant difference with students later in college years, consuming more news media. It is
proven to be important to form good news habits during the college years because it will transfer
into your adult life. The media that students now absorb will influence later political awareness,
knowledge, and activity. This supports our survey because it shows how much a students year
in college can influence their media consumption [4]. Students only spend time that they have
left over with the news. They do not really go out of their way to make sure that they study the
current events of the day [2].
BYU-Idaho students have correlated greatly with our research and findings. Overall,
students that pay attention to the news and took the time to consume it regularly were more
aware of current events and the world around them [2]. Also, those students who know most
about current events, are also the students with the highest GPAs [1]. Students who spend a
definite and regular amount of time in the news are the ones with the greatest knowledge [3].
It does help to spend one hour looking at news every other week but it is much more efficient to
spend 15 minutes every day studying the news [3]. It showed that a main reason that students
used social media news was a source of escape, boredom release and entertainment [5].
There is a problem with the baby boomers adjusting to the new media use and the current
generation, who is taking over the way news is spread now [4]. Everything is being published
and received a lot faster now. It is almost as if the news is being generated for a younger
audience.

A recent survey was conducted polling 303 college students from a major mid-western
university. The survey consisted of Likert questions. These questions asked a variety of
questions about the students weekly news consumption habits. Along with the Likert scale
survey there was a 10-question test about news events. Students had to choose whether the
answer was true or false. The mean for the true-false test of the 303 students was 5.03. Some
of the things they found were that the most commonly consumed form of media was the campus
newspaper. After this it was the Internet and late night comedians. The study also found that
college students differed from the general population because they have access to many
different websites, magazines, and newspapers through their campus library. Despite their easy
access to these sources of media, they still do not consume news at the same rate as older
people do. Also, the most common websites that students visited to receive their news were the
websites of major cable news channels. Overall the study found that the students who paid
attention to the news and took the time to consume it regularly were more aware of current
events and the world around them [2].
Another analysis found that, generally speaking, men know more about current events
than women. A survey took an equal amount of men and women and handed out the same test
to them. The men always scored higher, and they were the ones scoring 100% on the test. The
lowest scoring men scored lower than her male equivalent, and only one women actually scored
100% in one of the tests [3].
The fact that the internet is a students main source of receiving news may partially
explain the amount of news that students are knowledgeable about because they are mostly
receiving it from one media source. This can change based on students news habits that they
form in college. Perhaps with more students reading the news daily there will be a greater
understanding of the changes going on in the world, so every person knows of the difference
that they could make to their society.

Methods
Once we came up with our meta-question, we decided the best way to learn how much
students know about current events was through creating and distributing a survey. We began
by brainstorming how we wanted to formulate questions. As a group we decided to break up the
survey into three types of questions. We chose to ask questions on world figures, American
political figures, and pop culture figures. We also asked a few questions about current events in
pop culture. The bulk of our survey consisted of pictures of different individuals. We had
students identify German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Supreme Court Justice John 89 Roberts,
British Prime Minister David Cameron, Senator Harry Reid, Vice President Joe Biden. As well
as, Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian, Kevin Durant, Kim Jong Un, Senator Nancy Pelosi,
and Russian President Vladimir Putin. We then asked participants to type in the name of the
figure. If they were unsure who it was, we asked them to put do not know.
We also wanted to find out how much students felt they knew about current events. We
asked them to rate themselves on a scale from 1-100. We also asked them how they get their
news (social media, apps, television, etc.). Along with that, we asked them how much time a day
they spend looking at the news and what is their primary source for obtaining news.
Once we wrote the survey questions, we put them into the survey software that the
university has an account with called Qualtrics. After the survey was successfully created, we
had to send it off to get campus approval. We sent it to Scott Bergstrom who authorizes surveys
to be sent out to students. After examining our survey, he approved it and returned it to us with
300 email addresses of random BYU-Idaho students. Upon receiving our university approval,
we wrote up an email to send out to the 300 random students. In it we told them how long the
survey was and approximately how long it would take them to complete the survey. We also told

them if they did not feel comfortable answering the questions they did not have to. The text of
the email can be found in the appendix along with a copy of the survey.
After sending out the survey, we initially received 45 responses. We waited four days
and then sent the survey out again to the same 300 random student email addresses. In total
we received 66 responses. Once we collected all the answers, we began to go through each
students responses. Some questions were answered in an invalid way, so we had to throw
them out. Upon sifting through the results, we were able to compile a list of appropriate
answers. We then began to organize the data and analyze the information to start forming our
findings. The results of the survey are located in the appendix.

Findings
Finding 1: In general, BYU-Idaho students feel they dont know much about current
events.
We asked BYU-I students how they would rate their knowledge of current events on a
scale of 0 to 100,with 0 meaning they know nothing about news and 100 meaning they are an
expert. Out of the 60 students that took the survey, the lowest score recorded was a 3, and the
highest was a 98. The average score came out to be 39. In general, the college students felt
they did not know much about current events.
Unless your major has to do with the news - for example if you are planning on pursuing
a journalist career or are going into politics - not many college students listen to or often watch
the news as a priority. The average student can have many priorities, and reading the news is
not always one of them. Keeping up to date in everyday social activities can be difficult for the
average student. Studying for that exam or writing that tenth paper of the week can be time
consuming alone. Any other available time is used to eat and sleep.

Another main reason why a lot of students do not watch the news is because they think
it is boring and repetitive. Unless they are personally linked to a subject on the news- for
example if someone who lived in their friendly neighborhood was robbed- they would watch the
news to see if their house was on TV and most likely to see if they have identified the
perpetrator and captured him/her yet. Being personally affected or knowing someone who is in
the news seems to be the most common reason why they would take time to watch the news.

Finding 2: More than half of BYU-Idaho students spend less than 15 minutes looking
at the news.
In our Qualtrics survey we asked students attending BYU-Idaho how much news they
consumed every day. More than half of BYU-Idaho students spend less than 15 minutes looking
at the news each day. Looking at these findings it is hard not to ask, how much can you
understand of the news in only 15 minutes? It was proven that the students at BYU-I have a
lack of knowledge of our national politicians and news in general based on the results of our
survey. This is largely based on the lack of time that students spend looking at the news each
day.
From our findings we found that less than 60% of BYU-Idaho students spend fifteen
minutes or under looking at the news every day. It was less than 30% of students that spent
fifteen to thirty minutes looking up the news every day. Under 15% of students surveyed spent a
half an hour to an hour looking at the news. None of the students reported looking at the news
for more than an hour. The chart below shows the results that we acquired regarding the time
spent looking at the news daily for each student.

How much time do you spend looking at news a day?

0-15 min

15-30 min

30-60 min

1< hour

This survey proves that the lack of time students are spending looking at news everyday effects
what they know about the news

Finding 3: BYU-Idaho students can identify foreign dictators better

than they can identify American politicians.

Foreign Dictators Knowledge

13%
1

31%
3

2
9%

48%

American Politicians Knowledge

5% 1%
20%
1

74%

BYU-Idaho students knowledge on political figures is not very great in general. When
presented with pictures of American and foreign politicians, students have a hard time
identifying who they are seeing. However, it is interesting to note that BYU-Idaho students can
identify foreign dictators better than they can identify American politicians. In fact, when
presented with the pictures of Vladimir Putin, Russian president, and Kim Jong Un, North
Korean dictator, 31% of the students were able to name them. Still 13% of students knew who
they were without being able to properly name them. Many wrote The president of North
Korea, or The Russian guy. Generally speaking, they knew who those figures were.
A very interesting thing to note here is that 9% of students put the wrong names down,
especially when it came to Kim Jong Un. 2% of students wrote the wrong name when it came to
Putin, and 16% put the wrong name down for the North Korean president. The most frequent
mistake with the latter was that people thought he was Kim Jong Il.
Still, 47% of BYU-Idaho students had no idea who these dictators were.
In contrast, only 20% of students could properly name American politicians. The person
that was most recognized by students was US vice-president Joe Biden. Only 1% of the student

body knew the position of the person without knowing their name, and 5% of students answered
by putting down the wrong name.
74% of students were unable to identify American politicians at all.
Finding 4: Most students dont know much about American politicians.
Something this survey showed was that BYU-Idaho students dont know much about
American political figures. We were surprised to find that so few students couldnt identify four
prominent political figures. In our Qualtrics survey we asked students to identify by name
Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, Senator Harry Reid, Vice President Joe Biden, and
Senate Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
The first political figure they were asked to identify was Supreme Court justice John
Roberts. Out of the 62 responses we received only one student who was able to correctly
identify the man as John Roberts. The second politician we asked students to identify was
Senator Harry Reid. When students were shown a picture of Harry Reid, there were more
students that could identify him by name compared to Justice Roberts, but the numbers were
still substantially lower. Out of 63 responses there were only 10 who were able to correctly
identify the politician. Two answers were invalid. The rest did not know who he was.
The next politician we showed them was Vice President Joe Biden. He is a more
prominent political figure in the United States. Out of 63 responses 21 were able to correctly
identify the vice president. This is still less than half of the students who took the survey. It is
surprising that so few students were unaware of who he is. The last American politician that we
showed students was Nancy Pelosi. Eleven were able to correctly identify her. Forty-seven
stated that they did not know who she was. Five responses were invalid.

From these statistics, it can be concluded that BYU-Idaho students do not know much
about American politicians. On average, less than 33% of students were able to correctly
identify the political figures.

Percentage of BYU-Idaho Students Who Know American Poltical Figures

Cannot Idendtify American Political Figures; 30%

Can Identify American Political Figures; 70%

Finding 5: BYU-Idaho students know the most about pop culture in comparison with
American politicians and foreign affairs.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Thomas Jefferson said If I had to choose between government without newspapers,
and newspapers without government, I wouldnt hesitate to choose the latter. Jefferson
believed in the goodness and intelligence of the people, their good sense. He said that Our
citizens may be deceived for awhile, and have been deceived; but as long as the presses can
be protected, we may trust to them for light.
How can we trust people for light and to be responsible citizens that will ensure the
survival of democracy if they do not know about what is going on in the world? How can we trust
them to make decisions that will make governments stronger and that will guarantee their basic

freedoms if they cannot identify key role players in the politics of their country and of the world?
Without knowledge of politics and current events, citizens cannot accomplish their role and be
trusted to provide that light which will guide the world in the right direction. Nelson Mandela said
that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Education can be defined in many different ways, and knowing about current events and
the things that are going on in the world at all times is certainly one of those. It is crucial for
citizens, no matter what country they live in, to be educated about the things that will ensure the
continuation of their freedoms and liberties.
Wayne Dyer said The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you dont
know anything about. Popular ignorance about laws and governmental measures can lead to
great dangers. If citizens know nothing about laws and governmental issues, they will fail to
recognize any violation thereof. They will thus be exercising the greatest form of ignorance
because they will reject their right and responsibility to take action and impeach those who are
violating the basic rights of democracy.
Knowledge of current events is central in knowing about new laws that are being voted
on, about laws that are being violated, and about changes that are being planned for a country
or the world. It does not mean being informed on what Justin Bieber has been up to, knowing
when and where some celebrity child was born, or following the latest fashion trends. To ensure
and save democracy, citizens need to be informed about the things that truly matter. They need
to spend time educating themselves about politics and economics.
Most BYU-Idaho students belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As
part of their religion, they believe in being subjects to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates,
in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law. However, they cannot sustain the law if they do not
know what it is.

LDS leaders continually encourage and counsel members of their church to be informed,
and to be good citizens in defending basic rights and freedoms. One of their leaders, Lowell
Tom Perry, said We should be familiar with the history, heritage, and the laws of the land that
govern us. In those countries that allow us the right to participate in the affairs of government,
we should use our free agency and be actively engaged in supporting and defending the
principles of truth, right, and freedom.
For LDS students to take up that call to action from their leaders, they need to start
spending more time in the news. More than anything, they need to start looking at the things
that truly matter; those that will help support the principles of truth, right, and freedom. The
future depends on them, and if today they were the ones to be making crucial economic or
political decisions, democracy might be at risk.
The truth of this is highlighted by the fact that students feel they do not know much
about current events. They are already aware of what they are doing, or the lack of what they
are doing, yet they are not changing their habits.
In order to become the leaders they are striving to be, BYU-Idaho students need to take
their role seriously and start being more educated on things that happen in the world. Being
LDS, they are always taught that they need to prepare to become the future leaders of their
church, but they need to do the same with the world. They are the ones that are going to make
decisions about politics and democracy. They need to be the ones protecting this world from
dictators, to rise from politicians being corrupted and breaking laws without consequences.
Granted, reading about current events may not be the most exciting thing to do, but it is
essential for the well-being and the peace of this world. The right of free press is one of the
most important and one of the greatest gifts that democracy provides, and citizens need to take

advantage of that. They need to make sure that basic rights like those will never disappear
again. They need to secure democracy.
Bibliography

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