Readers: Thanks to all of you from around the country who have taken the time to fill out and send in this fall's survey.
We asked you to say YES if you agreed with the statements in the survey, NO if you didn't. Many of you told us that you didn't feel it was easy to just say yes or no to some of the ideas. And some of your responses were pretty evenly divided between yes and no. So, in future columns, we'll print comments and questions you sent in with your surveys - and any you send after you read these results. For now, though, here are the statements, followed by the majority response.
1. Any teenager convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs should lose his/her driver's license for a minimum of one year. YES, 70 percent.
2. If condoms were available at school, teenagers would feel greater pressure to have sex. NO, 75 percent.
3. Every high school student should have to pass an academic competency exam in order to get a high school diploma. NO, 61 percent.
4. Any student who is caught at school with a weapon (gun or knife) should be permanently expelled from school. YES, 58 percent.
5. Peer pressure has far greater influence on teenage behavior than parental pressure when it comes to issues of sex and alcohol. YES, 81 percent.
6. Teenage girls experience pressure from guys to be sexually active in order to be popular. YES, 54 percent.
7. American teenagers are more accepting of each other (regardless of race, religion or social class) than their parents are. YES, 66 percent.
8. I trust and respect the majority of my teachers. YES, 80 percent.
9. I have a friend, parent, teacher or relative I can go to when I need help. YES, 88 percent.
10. Students who have special education needs (physical, emotional or social) should attend separate (not regular) schools. NO, 78 percent.
11. When there's drinking at parties, we ALWAYS have a designated driver who doesn't drink. YES, 57 percent.
12. If there were teenagers who were thought to be gay at my school, they'd be harassed. YES, 76 percent.
13. Most teenagers have too much stress in their lives. YES, 78 percent.
14. Condoms should be available at school because if they were, sexually active teenagers would use them instead of having unprotected sex. YES, 73 percent.
15. More vocational, technical and career programs that prepare students for employment after high school graduation are needed at my school. YES, 69 percent.
16. I know how to use a computer for more than playing video games. YES, 79 percent.
17. Most adults I know personally distrust teenagers. NO, 51 percent.
18. Weapons and violence are a problem at my school. NO, 80 percent.
19. I have a friend, parent, teacher or relative I feel comfortable going to when I want or need advice. YES, 85 percent.
20. I have SERIOUSLY tried to improve my physical appearance (dieting, body-building, dress, exercising, etc.) while in high school. YES, 70 percent.
21. Having the opportunity to discuss sexual issues with my same-sex peer groups is important and could make a difference in my decision whether or not to be sexually active. YES, 55 percent.
22. I have discussed my personal and academic goals with a school official in the past year. NO, 56 percent.
23. Not counting my paycheck, my main reason for working is/would be to get out of the house. NO, 71 percent.
24. I'm proud of my parents. YES, 78 percent.
25. It is better for kids when at least one parent is at home with them after school. YES, 73 percent.
26. My parents treat me like a child. NO, 67 percent.
27. My parents place too much responsibility for what goes on in our home on me. NO, 61 percent.
28. Because of the way my mom and dad have handled things based on their religious beliefs, I believe in the importance of organized religion. NO, 52 percent.
29. Because of the experiences my parents have had in marriage, I look forward to being married and having a family of my own. YES, 68 percent.
30. I'd be interested in having the option to participate in a National Youth Service Program, which would let me pay off my college loans by performing two years of national service. YES, 60 percent.