College Myths and Peer Pressure
"Everyone does it." It's a sentence that you will undoubtedly hear at some point in your time in college. It's also, more than likely, untrue and often used as a part of peer pressure. Let's put the top three most common claims to the test...
#1: Everyone drinks (and drinks to excess)
"In a 2009 survey when asked: “How many drinks do you think the “typical” student at your school had the last time he/she ‘partied’/socialized,” the students said that 33.3% at their school drank 5 to 6 drinks and that 4.3% had no drinks. However, data about frequency of actual use is substantially different (lower): 12.2% reported drinking on 10 to 19 days in the past 30 days; another 18.3% reported that they never used; and 12.9% reported that they drank, but not in the past 30 days. The amount used is also lower than the perception of typical use: 15.2% reported drinking 5 to 6 drinks the last time they partied/socialized and 24.6% reported no use. So, there are far more college students that do not drink than what is perceived and far fewer drink at risky levels than what is perceived."
- Adapted from St. John Fisher College's website
http://www.sjfc.edu/campus-services/wellness/alcohol/myths.dot
- Adapted from St. John Fisher College's website
http://www.sjfc.edu/campus-services/wellness/alcohol/myths.dot
#2: Everyone smokes marijuana
In an experiment similar to the one above, another college polled their students and compared the perceived and actual use of marijuana. Here are their results, again taken from their website.
"Did you know most UNH students (76.8%) choose not to use marijuana? This is interesting especially when the same students surveyed reported that they believe most UNH students smoked (91.3%). Why? Often people misperceive how much a substance is being used, maybe because their friends use, or maybe just because it seems like everyone on campus is drinking and smoking, so it seems believable."
- Adapted from University of New Hampshire's website
http://www.unh.edu/health-services/ohep/other-drugs_marijuana.html
"Did you know most UNH students (76.8%) choose not to use marijuana? This is interesting especially when the same students surveyed reported that they believe most UNH students smoked (91.3%). Why? Often people misperceive how much a substance is being used, maybe because their friends use, or maybe just because it seems like everyone on campus is drinking and smoking, so it seems believable."
- Adapted from University of New Hampshire's website
http://www.unh.edu/health-services/ohep/other-drugs_marijuana.html
#3: Everyone "hooks up"
Again, as you may have guessed by now, statistics don't match up with the perception that everyone has casual sex in college.
[In the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA)] "The majority of survey participants had 1 or fewer sexual partners during the previous year; however, the common belief among respondents was that their peers had at least 3 partners during the previous year."
- Taken from article "Am I the Only One Not Doing It?" on Columbia University's website
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/college-student-sex-stats-am-i-only-one-not-doing-it
So while, yes, many college students do have students that are sexually active, it's probably not at the rates you perceived. In fact, many college students are virgins.
"Among 18- and 19-year-olds, about one-quarter of men and women said they hadn't had sexual contact with another person, up from 17% of women and 22% of men in 2002. Among those ages 20-24, 12% of women and 13% of men said they were virgins, up from 8% for both sexes in 2002."
- Taken from USA Today's article "More college 'hookups,' but more virgins, too"
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/dating/story/2011/03/More-hookups-on-campuses-but-more-virgins-too/45556388/1
[In the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA)] "The majority of survey participants had 1 or fewer sexual partners during the previous year; however, the common belief among respondents was that their peers had at least 3 partners during the previous year."
- Taken from article "Am I the Only One Not Doing It?" on Columbia University's website
http://goaskalice.columbia.edu/college-student-sex-stats-am-i-only-one-not-doing-it
So while, yes, many college students do have students that are sexually active, it's probably not at the rates you perceived. In fact, many college students are virgins.
"Among 18- and 19-year-olds, about one-quarter of men and women said they hadn't had sexual contact with another person, up from 17% of women and 22% of men in 2002. Among those ages 20-24, 12% of women and 13% of men said they were virgins, up from 8% for both sexes in 2002."
- Taken from USA Today's article "More college 'hookups,' but more virgins, too"
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/dating/story/2011/03/More-hookups-on-campuses-but-more-virgins-too/45556388/1
Give Your Input!
Have a college myth that you want to share with others? Contact Me and it may end up debunked on the website!
Have a college myth that you want to share with others? Contact Me and it may end up debunked on the website!
