Some encouraging numbers...

Sara Lipka of The Chronicle of Higher Education recently reported the findings of a survey of last fall's incoming freshmen in college.  The results are encouraging, but also interesting.  Note the gender difference in same-sex marriage support as well the high numbers of those students identifying with a religious group.

• Over all, 65 percent of the college freshmen surveyed last fall supported same-sex marriage.
• About a quarter of those students who consider themselves "extremely conservative" support same-sex marriage while 68 percent of students who place themselves in the political center support same-sex marriage.
• Women were 72 percent supportive compared men 57 percent of men.
• Hispanic students were 69 percent supportive, white students 65 percent supportive, and black students 53 percent supportive.
• Students who identified themselves as Jewish, Buddhist, or nonreligious were most supportive, with at least 87 percent in each group favoring legal same-sex marriage.
•Sixty-six percent of Catholic students and 58 percent of Muslim students expressed support, as did between 50 and 75 percent of students affiliated with most Protestant Christian denominations.

Numbers like these make the future look bright.