North Carolina State University students were surveyed to assess their political attitudes and preferences prior to the 1976 general election and to compare results with those obtained in a 1972 survey. Information was obtained on: voter registration, party affiliation, political views, candidate preference for president, candidate preference for governor, prediction of election results, reasons for voter preference, the most important issues, and the importance of the election outcome. Among the findings are the following: in comparison to 1972, student interest and participation in the electoral process dropped; students now are politically more conservative than they were in 1972; and students overwhelmingly identified economic issues (taxes, spending, and unemployment) as the most important issues facing the new president. (SW)