Transitions in the nuclear age: late adolescence to early adulthood.

College students, subjects in a 1983 study on reaction to that threat of nuclear war, participated in a follow-up study to investigate the changes that occur from late adolescence to early adulthood. The 41 subjects again completed the Nuclear War Attitude Survey (NWAS II) and, additionally, a second questionnaire and to 1 to 2 1/2 hour individual interview during which they were asked to explain changes in their answers to the NWAS II. Compared to their previous responses to the NWAS II, the responses of these young adults showed statistically significant decreases in the frequency they reported thinking about the possibility of nuclear war, their estimation of the likelihood of a nuclear war, and their intention to contact the news media to express their views. The researchers hypothesize that the major reasons for changes in response were (1) developmental differences, (2) the campus culture, (3) the political climate, (4) the media climate and (5) lack of engagement with the democratic process.