According to an online survey conducted in September, 9 out of 10 Brown students prefer Barack Obama to John McCain for president, with support for Obama greatest among older students.
The study was part of a series called "GenX2Z" that surveyed college students and was conducted by Anderson Analytics, a market research company.
The study found little political difference between genders at Brown, with 92 percent of female and 90 percent of male students saying they preferred Obama over McCain.
The survey also found a high level of support for Obama among college students across the country: 60 percent are in favor of Obama and 25 percent prefer McCain. The study also showed a gender difference between college students nationwide: 63 percent of female students and 55 percent of male students said they supported Obama.
The study analyzed responses from 1,000 students from more than 400 colleges and universities. Survey participants were recruited through Facebook and took the survey online, and had to provide .edu e-mail addresses to show they were students.
Anderson originally only included about 30 students from Ivy League schools, excluding Dartmouth.
But after he noticed an overwhelming preference for Obama within the Ivy League, he took two more random samplings of 100 students each at Brown and Harvard.
Harvard students showed a more pronounced gender gap, with 93 percent of women and 72 percent of men saying they favored Obama.
Jennifer Lawless, assistant professor of political science and public policy, said she was not surprised by the survey results, saying Obama has a "sizable lead" among "young people of higher education" between the ages of 18 and 29.
Lawless said the student body's overwhelming preference for Obama fits with Brown's tradition of being "democratic," "liberal" and "progressive."
Obama enjoys equal support among male and female Brown students because, "when there are only people of one party, there is no room for the gender gap," Lawless said.
Also, older students seem to have a stronger preference for Obama because it takes more time to develop political views, while younger students tend to stick to the political views of their parents, Lawless added.
Although students were not shocked to find that the campus shows a general preference for Obama, some were surprised the level of support was so high.
Caitlin Trujillo '12 said she was aware of Brown's image as a "progressive and liberal school."
"It doesn't surprise me that students prefer Obama, but 90 percent is really high," Trujillo said.
"I'm not up to date in politics as much as I should be. I do prefer Obama though," she added.
Brian Becker '09, president of the Undergraduate Council of Students, said that it did not surprise him that seniors were more supportive of Obama.
"I know people who have changed their political views since they got here," he said. "In my experience, we learn much more about the intricacies of American institutions and the factors of globalization in college," so seniors are probably more "fervent for change," he said.
Galen Cho '11, a McCain supporter and Herald business staffer, said the student body's strong preference for Obama did not surprise him, either. Although he is in the political minority, Cho said he feels free to have his own opinion because "Brown is very liberal."
