WASHINGTON 鈥� As the March For Our Lives is set to begin in D.C. Saturday, a new poll finds that gun violence, including in school, is the biggest fear young people face.
A of young people ages 13 to 24 found that gun violence came in ahead of terrorism, racism, climate change and paying for college.
鈥淢aybe we shouldn鈥檛 be surprised at the way school violence has defined this generation,鈥� USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page, who wrote about the poll for the paper, told 海角社区app Thursday, noting that even the oldest participants in the survey began school after the Columbine High School shootings in 1999. 鈥淭hroughout their school careers, this has been a reality that they鈥檝e lived with.鈥�
Some of the numbers from the poll, as well as the interviews with those surveyed, are sobering.
About 80 percent of the polled students between ages 13 and 17 said they鈥檝e had a 鈥渟erious talk鈥� with their parents or guardians about how to deal with a shooting in school 鈥� way up from the 38 percent in the 18-to-24 group.
The poll found 19 percent of the young people said they don鈥檛 feel safe at school; 25 percent said it鈥檚 very likely or somewhat likely that one of their classmates will bring a gun to school.
Justin McDonnall, 17, described his hometown of Hymera, Indiana, as 鈥淣owhere USA,鈥� but told USA Today that even there, the police spent two days at his school because another student made verbal threats of gun violence. 鈥淚 watch over my shoulder, because you never know.鈥�
鈥淪ome other kids take it as a joke but I take it seriously because you never know what could happen,鈥� Cornelius Collie, 13, of Tutwiler, Mississippi, told USA Today. 鈥淟ike in Florida, I bet no one took it seriously until it happened.
The young people surveyed had opinions on what should be done about school shootings, as well.
Strong majorities of both age groups thought schools should be required to hold active-shooter drills, and that people who have been treated for mental illness should be prohibited from owning guns. The question of whether tightening gun control laws and background checks would help prevent mass shootings drew a basically evenly mixed response.
Both age groups overwhelmingly thought schools should have armed police officers; equally strong majorities thought teachers should not be armed.
鈥楾hey need to do this themselves鈥�
One-third of the young people surveyed said they will participate, in person or via social media, in Saturday鈥檚 March for Our Lives. Page said that if that percentage holds nationwide, it would be 鈥渢he kind of protest that we鈥檝e never seen before in this country.鈥�
The young people she spoke to 鈥渇eel the adult leaders of this country 鈥� have failed them. Neither party gets a very good rating鈥� in the poll, Page said. 鈥淧resident Trump doesn鈥檛 either,鈥� she added, saying that young people were 鈥渇eeling like they need to do this themselves.鈥�
Another difference seen among the younger people: 鈥淭he idea that nothing can work, which I think a lot of older people have when it comes to gun laws 鈥� they don鈥檛 have that sense. They believe that activism can make a difference.鈥�
Julian Perez, 23, of Corpus Christi, Texas, speaking of youthful activism, told USA Today that “Some people were saying, ‘It’s great they care so much about politics,’ and as soon as they hear something they don’t like, it’s, ‘Well, you guys are just eating Tide pods; you shouldn’t be talking.”
The pollsters surveyed 1,112 people ages 13 to 24, including more than 600 students in middle school and high school. Parents gave their permission for minor children to be interviewed. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 points for those under age 18, 5 points for those 18 to 24 and 3.4 points for both combined.
