Meet the Class of

2023

Beliefs and Lifestyle

The Crimson's survey of more than 55 percent of incoming freshmen in Harvard College's Class of 2023 asked them about their beliefs and lifestyles.

Read Part III of The Crimson's three-part series on the freshman survey here.

Religion

  • Religion

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Agnostic: 28.4%Atheist: 15.1%Catholic: 17.5%Hindu: 2%Jewish: 5.3%Mormon: 0.5%Muslim: 3.1%Protestant: 16.5%Other: 11.7%

  • Religiosity

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Not at all religious: 32.8%Not very religious: 25.5%Somewhat religious: 26.4%Very religious: 13.4%Extremely religious: 1.8%

  • Religion by Region

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4PercentageCatholicProtestantJewishMuslimHinduAgnosticAtheistMormonNortheastWestOutside of the United StatesMidwestSoutheastSouthwest01020302.557.512.51517.522.52527.532.53537.5

  • Religiosity by Income

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4PercentageNot at all religiousNot very religiousSomewhat religiousReligiousVery religiousBelow $40kBetween $40k and $80kBetween $80k and $125kBetween $125k and $250kBetween $250k and $500kOver $500k02.557.51012.51517.52022.52527.53032.53537.54042.545

Politics

  • Political Persuasion

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Very liberal: 24.8%Somewhat liberal: 39.8%Moderate: 23.1%Somewhat conservative: 10.3%Very conservative: 2.1%

  • Politics by Region

  • Politics by Religion

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4PercentageLiberalModerateConservativeAgnosticCatholicProtestantAtheistOtherJewishMuslimHinduMormon0510152025303540455055606570758085

National Politics

  • Affirmative Action

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 6%Somewhat unfavorable: 11.9%No opinion: 12.8%Somewhat favorable: 37.4%Strongly favorable: 25%Not enough information: 7%

  • Transgender Individuals in the Military

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 1.6%Somewhat unfavorable: 3.4%No opinion: 12.6%Somewhat favorable: 14.6%Strongly favorable: 65.3%Not enough information: 2.5%

  • Sanctuary Cities

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 3.3%Somewhat unfavorable: 5.8%No opinion: 18.4%Somewhat favorable: 15.2%Strongly favorable: 42.3%Not enough information: 15%

  • U.S. President Donald Trump

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 68.8%Somewhat unfavorable: 16.1%No opinion: 5.2%Somewhat favorable: 5.9%Strongly favorable: 2%Not enough information: 2%

  • Same-Sex Marriage

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 1.6%Somewhat unfavorable: 3.7%No opinion: 9.5%Somewhat favorable: 8.9%Strongly favorable: 75.6%Not enough information: 0.6%

  • Separation of Immigrant Children from Parents at Border

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 76.9%Somewhat unfavorable: 11%No opinion: 4.5%Somewhat favorable: 2.7%Strongly favorable: 1.6%Not enough information: 3.3%

  • Efforts to Solve Climate Change

    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 0.7%Somewhat unfavorable: 1.4%No opinion: 3.6%Somewhat favorable: 14%Strongly favorable: 78.1%Not enough information: 2.2%

  • Harvard Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination against Asian-American Applicants

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 15.1%Somewhat unfavorable: 24.4%No opinion: 22.9%Somewhat favorable: 16.1%Strongly favorable: 7.5%Not enough information: 14.1%

  • Special Counsel Investigation into Russian Election Interference

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 3.2%Somewhat unfavorable: 5.6%No opinion: 18.6%Somewhat favorable: 31.5%Strongly favorable: 27.9%Not enough information: 13.2%

  • The #MeToo Movement

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 1.4%Somewhat unfavorable: 5.4%No opinion: 10.9%Somewhat favorable: 29.5%Strongly favorable: 49.8%Not enough information: 3.1%

Harvard Issues

  • Proposals to Divest Endowment Funds from Fossil Fuel Investments

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 3.8%Somewhat unfavorable: 7.8%No opinion: 14.3%Somewhat favorable: 30.2%Strongly favorable: 30%Not enough information: 13.9%

  • Revoking Former Government Professor Jorge I. Dominguez’s Emeritus Status after at least 18 Women Accused him of Sexual Harassment

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 0.5%Somewhat unfavorable: 1.8%No opinion: 9.7%Somewhat favorable: 20%Strongly favorable: 52%Not enough information: 15.8%

  • The Selection of Lawrence S. Bacow as Harvard's 29th President

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 1.2%Somewhat unfavorable: 4.7%No opinion: 46.3%Somewhat favorable: 10.3%Strongly favorable: 6.2%Not enough information: 31.3%

  • Harvard's Policy Penalizing Students Who Join Single-Gender Final Clubs and Greek Organizations

    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 14.5%Somewhat unfavorable: 21.3%No opinion: 25.6%Somewhat favorable: 20.6%Strongly favorable: 10%Not enough information: 8%

  • Some Single-Gender Groups’ Lawsuit against Harvard to Eliminate the Social Group Sanctions

    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 4.9%Somewhat unfavorable: 13.3%No opinion: 30.6%Somewhat favorable: 15.4%Strongly favorable: 9.7%Not enough information: 26.1%

  • Harvard Graduate Students’ Vote to Unionize for the First Time in School History

    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 2.9%Somewhat unfavorable: 3.7%No opinion: 25.7%Somewhat favorable: 17.6%Strongly favorable: 19.2%Not enough information: 30.9%

  • Refusing to Renew Winthrop Faculty Deans Ronald S. Sullivan, Who Briefly Represented Harvey Weinstein, and Stephanie R. Robinson

    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 11.7%Somewhat unfavorable: 12.7%No opinion: 18.6%Somewhat favorable: 18.1%Strongly favorable: 16.5%Not enough information: 22.4%

  • Removing Head Fencing Coach Peter Brand, Who Sold His House to a Prospective Student’s Parent for Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars More Than Its Assessed Value, for Conflict of Interest Violations

    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 1.1%Somewhat unfavorable: 2.5%No opinion: 11.2%Somewhat favorable: 27.2%Strongly favorable: 42.1%Not enough information: 15.9%

  • Proposals to Divest Endowment Funds from Companies Tied to Private Prisons

    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Strongly unfavorable: 3.3%Somewhat unfavorable: 5%No opinion: 17.6%Somewhat favorable: 21.6%Strongly favorable: 34.1%Not enough information: 18.4%

Sex

  • Sexual Activity

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Virgin: 60.6%Not a Virgin: 39.4%

  • Sexual Activity by Gender

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4PercentageMaleFemaleGenderqueer/non-binary020406080100

  • Age of First Sexual Activity Among Non-Virgins

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Before middle school: 0.4%Middle school: 2.2%9th grade: 6%10th grade: 17.9%11th grade: 26.5%12th grade: 33.2%Summer after senior year or gap year: 13.8%

  • Sexual Partners

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.41: 54.4%2: 15.2%3: 6.8%4: 6.1%5: 4.6%6: 2.7%7: 1.9%8: 0.4%9: 1.5%10 or more: 6.4%

Drugs

  • Alcohol Drinkers

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Has Tried: 63.1%Has Not Tried: 36.9%

  • Marijuana Users

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Has Tried: 23.8%Has Not Tried: 76.2%

  • Fake IDs

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Yes: 9.5%No: 90.5%

Mental Health

  • Mental Health Counseling

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Yes: 25.3%No: 74.7%

Technology

  • Computers

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Mac: 73.8%PC: 22.4%Other: 3.8%

  • Cell Phones

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4iPhone: 86.5%Android: 12.7%A different smartphone: 0.9%

  • Facebook Usage

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023

  • Twitter Usage

    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023

  • Snapchat Usage

    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Between 0 and 15 minutes: 30.8%Between 16 and 30 minutes: 18%Between 31 and 45 minutes: 12.4%Between 46 minutes and 1 hour: 8.5%Between 1 hour and 1.5 hours: 8.5%Between 1.5 hours and 2 hours: 3.9%Greater than 2 hours: 2.3%I don't have a Snapchat account: 15.5%

  • Instagram Usage

    • 2019
    • 2020
    • 2021
    • 2022
    • 2023
    Created with Highcharts 4.0.4Between 0 and 15 minutes: 15.3%Between 16 and 30 minutes: 23.8%Between 31 and 45 minutes: 16.5%Between 46 minutes and 1 hour: 14.3%Between 1 hour and 1.5 hours: 13.1%Between 1.5 hours and 2 hours: 4.4%Greater than 2 hours: 3.4%I don't have an Instagram account: 9.2%