The National Debt

In a recent study conducted by 2 Kalamazoo College students questions were asked of the population of Kalamazoo College about their knowledge and opinions on the national debt. The results of this survey showed that upperclassmen were more concerned about the national debt and that Kalamazoo College did not have an accurate idea of how large the national debt is. The average concern level for freshman was 6.05 on a scale from 1-10 while the upperclassman's average was 6.94 on the same scale. This was shown to be a significant difference. This difference could be due to the fact that while freshman just got into college they might not be as concerned about the economy as a whole and more specifically how it will affect the job market that they are about to enter. Another finding from this survey is troubling. The average size of U.S. National Debt given on the survey was $6.93 Trillion compared to the actual size (at the time of the survey) of $16.7 Trillion. This is a lack of knowledge on a basic fact about a central issue in not only our country but all around the world.