Research Note: Assessing the validity of college samples: Are students really that different?

ObjectiveThe purpose of this research note is to explore the validity of college student samples for criminology and criminal justice research. Some scholars have suggested that college populations are comprised of individuals who are different from the rest of society and that the use of college students for social research may distort our theoretical understanding of crime and criminality.MethodThe National Youth Survey is used to assess, college students’ self-reported behaviors, frequency of behaviors, and attitudes in relation to the general population.ResultsThe results indicate that there is almost no statistically significant difference in behaviors and only minor differences in the frequency of behaviors and attitudes.ConclusionThe findings from this investigation suggest that while college students may be culturally unique, this uniqueness does not seem to affect validity.

Research Highlights
► College and non-college students are similar in their criminal behaviors and attitudes.
► College students offend at a slightly higher rate than non-college students.
► College student samples appear to be valid samples for criminal justice research.