College students are more interested in spirituality than supposed?

This God and Freshmen article from Inside Higher Ed is an oldie (2005), but still interesting:

Researchers released data Wednesday that offers the most complete portrait to date of new college students’ attitudes about spirituality and religion, and the study suggests that freshmen care far more about spiritual matters than is widely believed. More than three-quarters of freshmen say they are looking for meaning in life, for example, and more than two-thirds engage in prayer.

No wonder the New Atheists are freaking out. In my day, the big enemy of spirituality was the Religion department. They beat the subject to death every day. People had to discover live examples on their own. Well, maybe that turned out okay too.