NYU Students: IPod More Valuable Than Civic Duty

Remember those Klondike Bar commercials that jokingly suggested people would do crazy and humiliating things for a Klondike Bar? Of course you do. They were funny because, while we got the message that ice cream novelties are delicious, we understood instinctively that a Klondike Bar is worth maybe a dollar and no one in their right mind would go to any great lengths to obtain one. Giving up your sense of dignity for an ultimately meaningless prize that'll just be gone in a few minutes? Ridiculous!

Or maybe not.

You wouldn't give up more than a few coins for a Klondike Bar, but what would you do for an iPod Touch? How about a full scholarship to the college of your choice? How about a million dollars?

Turns out a surprisingly large percentage of NYU students would give up something we're all taught to hold dear: the right to vote.

90% of NYU students surveyed believe that voting is important, and 70% believe their vote can make a difference. But 20% of those same students would give up the right to vote for an iPod touch. Half would give it up for a million cash, but 66% felt more comfortable accepting a full scholarship to NYU in exchange for their vote.

When interviewed, students said that there were no candidates on the ballot who represented their personal beliefs, so why bother? Others expressed disdain at those who would sell their vote, one student going so far as to suggest deportation for those who would forfeit this right. Dalton Conley, chairman of the Sociology Department, theorized that students really do believe their vote matters - it matters so much that someone might pony up cash for it.

What would you do for a million bucks?