Poll: Class Of 2000

Most high school seniors have already had to deal with adult situations in their lives, such as the death of someone close to them or other crises, according to a new CBS News Class of 2000 Poll. Seventy-three percent of these high school seniors say they have had some one close to them die. And nearly all, 91 percent, have faced at least one adult-type problem like death, substance abuse, car accident, serious health problem, and so on. Forty percent report having experienced a serious crisis or disaster.

DEALT WITH ADULT SITUATIONS

Such situations have caused many of these students to grow up quickly. But the good news is, the vast majority of high school seniors are generally optimistic about the future, and while they worry some about finding good jobs and careers their future careers are also what they look forward to the most.

Students in the class of 2000 believe, almost unanimously, in the American dream: 89 percent think that it is still possible to start out poor in this country, work hard, and become rich.

THE AMERICAN DREAM...

LIFE'S CRISES

Life's crises are not unknown to mmbers of the Class of 2000. Forty percent of these high school seniors say that they have experienced a "serious crisis or disaster" in their lives. What students describe as disasters have happened to those of all incomes, gender, and race.

When asked to describe their crisis in their own words, students who say they have experienced a crisis most often volunteer the death of a friend or family member, followed by family problems such as divorce or fighting, and the serious illness of a friend or relative.

MOST COMMON CRISES:

ADULT PROBLEMS

Nearly all members of the Class of 2000 have faced adult-type problems at some point in their lives, though they might not consider them crises -- 91 percent of the high school seniors say they have faced at least one of nine specific difficulties in their lives.

Most commonly, these students report having experienced the death of someone close to them, cited by 73 percent. Forty-seven percent say they have had a friend or family member with an alcohol or substance abuse problem, and 37 percent say that a member of their family has been in a serious car accident.

Roughly one quarter of these students have themselves had a serious health problem, have parents who are divorced or have experienced a natural disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, flood or earthquake.

A third tier of problems, encountered by relatively few of these students, includes themselves or a family member being shot, being in a serious car accident, losing their home and all their possessions or having a substance abuse problem.

EVER EXPERIENCED....

Students in the poorest households (with under $15,000 in annual household income) are far more likely to have experienced the death of someone close to them, a friend or family member with a substance abuse problem, or a shooting incident.

GROWING UP NOW

Confronting such serious difficulties in life has caused students to feel they have grown up faster, and teenagers who experience serious crises seem to lose part of their childhood in the process. Although nearly two-thirds, 63 percent, do not feel as though they have had to grow up too fast, a significant 37 percent say that they have. A similar percentage, 35 percent, say they had to grow up faster than their parents did.

By 47 percent to 29 percent, Class of 2000 students who say they have experienced a personal crisis are more likely than students who have not had a crisis to say they have grown up too fast. And by 42 percent to 31 percent, those high school seniors who have lived through a crisis are also more likely to believe they have grown up faster than their parents did.

More so than their peers who have not faced such challenges, these high school seniors tend to feel more like adults than like children, and one in five wish they could be younger than they are now.

By 29 percent to 12 percent, they are more than twice as likely to see themselves as having had a harder life than other kids their own age.

Family situations also affect how these students grow up. Those who may have had tougher home lives are the most likely to say that they have had to grow up too fast: nearly half of those with family incomes under $15,000 a year, and a similar percentage of those in single-parent households say they've grown up too fast.

Still, almost half of the high school seniors say enjoy being the age they are now - 49 percent of students in the Class of 2000 say they like being the age they are right now; 21 percent want to be older than they are, and only 15 percent wish they could be younger.

SUICIDE

Students of the Class of 2000 are acquainted with one of the darker sides of growing up -- suicide attempts by their peers. Fifty-one percent of the Class of 2000 say they know someone their age who has tried to commit suicide. By 57 percent to 45 percent, girls are more apt than boys to report they know someone who has made a suicide attempt. When they were freshman, 43 percent of these seniors made this claim.

Depression or other general psychological or emotional problems are seen by these students as the main reasons why their peers tried to kill themselves. Fewer than one in ten members of the Class of 2000 ascribe these suicide attempts as reactions to specific crises, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce in the family or problems with their parents.

OTHER ADULT SITUATIONS

The Class of 2000 students are also exposed to other adul situations such as sex, pregnancy and HIV.

Not surprisingly, an increasing number of students in the Class of 2000 are having sex now than did so just one year ago. Forty-three percent of these students say that they have had sex, up from 34 percent when they were juniors, 23 percent when they were sophomores and 18 percent when they were freshmen. Currently, 72 percent say that a lot of the students in their grade at school are having sex, up from 63 percent one year ago.

Although many are doing it, having sex is not widely accepted by these students. While 60 percent of the Class of 2000 think it is okay to have sex before marriage, 62 percent think that kids their age are too young to be having sex. When these students were freshman, 50 percent thought that premarital sex was acceptable.

Nearly equal numbers of both boys and girls have had sex (42 percent and 43 percent respectively). But girls are much more likely than boys to think that premarital sex is wrong, and that teens their age are too young to be having sex.

Pregnancy is a situation these teenagers are aware of - 92 percent of these high school seniors report they personally know someone their age who has gotten pregnant. As members of the Class of 2000 have gotten older, this number has risen steadily, from 54 percent when these students were freshmen to 76 percent when they were sophomores, 85 percent when they were juniors and 92 percent now. Seventy-five percent of these students say the mother kept the child, up from 40 percent when they were freshman.

Students in the Class of 2000 have also been exposed to the harsh realities of HIV and AIDS. One in five say they know someone who has tested positive for the HIV virus, or who currently has, or has died from, AIDS. Girls are more likely than boys to make this claim, as are those students living in the poorest households or in large cities.

ADULT PROBLEMS, ADULT REACTIONS?

Not only are students in the Class of 2000 facing more adult problems, they are also adopting adult behaviors. A sharply increasing number of these students report that they drink alcohol once a month or more - up 8 points from just last year when these students were juniors, and up 21 points from when they were freshmen.

Fewer than one in ten regularly use marijuana, 9 percent hardly ever use it, and over 80 percent say they have never tried it. These numbers have remained almost unchanged since these students were freshmen in 1997.

COPING

Death is the most difficult situation for these young people to handle. Forty-eight percent of those who have experienced it say that it was very hard for them. Around one in four who experienced each say that shooting incidents, substance abuse and ca accidents were similarly challenging for them. Their own health problems, their parents' divorce and natural disasters were less difficult for those going through them, with about one in seven saying it was very hard to deal with each. Girls report having a more difficult time dealing with most of these situations than boys do.

Typically, these students rely on family -- volunteered by 48 percent -- and friends -- volunteered by 18 percent -- to help see them through serious crises. Religion or a religious figure -- volunteered by 9 percent -- can also provide comfort. Twenty-two percent say they have had counseling. But the effectiveness of such counseling is mixed; about half of students report it helped them, but just as many said it did not.

RESPONSIBILITY

These high school seniors have significant responsibility for helping out at home, but they feel it is the right amount of responsibility. Nearly two-thirds cook meals for their family and clean the house at least once a week, half run errands for their parents more than once a week, and 71 percent claim to know something about their family's finances.

Students who live in single-parent households have still more responsibility. Fifty-two percent cook meals for their families and 56 percent clean house MORE than once a week.

Seventy-one percent of students in the class of 2000 have at least a part-time job, and among those who do, 42 percent contribute part of their income to their household. Those who come from the poorest families are the most likely to contribute income to their families 52 percent of employed students with family incomes of under $15,000 a year contribute money to the household.

Overall, however, students do not feel overburdened by their home responsibilities: 81 percent say they have the right amount of responsibility at home. Even 79 percent of those who contribute income to their families feel that their home responsibilities are about right.

THE FUTURE: WHAT THEY WORRY ABOUT

High school seniors are both excited and apprehensive about their impending careers. Twenty-seven percent cite finding a good job as their biggest worry about the future (roughly half worry about it now), while a similar 27 percent say their future career or job is what they look forward to the most.

Success is a top concern generally for these teens: 27 percent are worried about future jobs, 15 percent are worried about future financial security, and 10 percent say they worry about their future success.

WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE...

THE FUTURE: WHAT THEY LOOK FORWARD TO

Sixty percent of these high school seniors say they plan to go on to a four-year college after they graduate, and, perhaps surprisingly, 65 percent would prefer to get started on their careers rather than take some time off, if given that option.

In addition to looking forward to their future careers, these students also look forward to both starting their own families (21 percent), and independence (13 percent).

While high school seniors say growing up for them has been more difficult than it was for their parents, they also see bigger payoffs: 60 percent think their future lives will be better than their parents', while only 5 percent think their lives will be worse, and 34 percent say their lives will be the same.