Washington ? A majority of U.S. college students say religion is important in their lives and that they’re concerned about the country’s moral direction, a finding that could influence the way they vote in upcoming elections, according to a Harvard University Institute of Politics poll that was released Tuesday.

In a telephone survey of 1,200 American college students, 7 out of 10 said religion was somewhat or very important in their lives, and 1 in 4 said they’d become more spiritual since entering college.

Fifty-four percent said they were concerned about the moral direction of the country.

Students who were surveyed said abortion policy, stem cell research and gay marriage provoked questions of morality. In a finding that surprised the institute, 50 percent said the U.S. government’s response to Hurricane Katrina raised questions of morality.

Sixty-two percent of students who identified themselves as Republicans said religion was losing its influence on American society, while 54 percent of Democrats said it was increasing its influence. Most agreed, however, that a candidate’s religion wouldn’t affect how they voted.

American college students could play a major role in upcoming elections. Eighteen- to 24-year-olds cast 11.6 million votes in the 2004 presidential election, 3 million more than in 2000, according to the institute.

Jeanne Shaheen, director of the Institute of Politics, said the findings showed that “religion and morality are critical to how students think about politics and form opinions on political issues.”

“Students have gone from the ‘me’ generation, Generation X, to the ‘we’ generation,” Shaheen said.