College students are becoming more engaged in the political process and could be a major force in the 2004 elections, according to a new national survey of undergraduates.

In the survey, conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, 59 percent of students said they would "definitely be voting" in next year's general election. Twenty-seven percent said that they "probably" would vote.

In 2000, only 32 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in the presidential race.

The survey also found that college students are evenly divided in terms of party affiliation. While more college students said they were affiliated with Democrats (29 percent) than Republicans (26 percent), the gap between the two parties has narrowed in recent years.

A plurality of students (41 percent) said they were either Independents or unaffiliated with a major party, an increase from 33 percent in 2000.

College students "are up for grabs," said Daniel R. Glickman, the institute's director and a former U.S. secretary of agriculture. "The fact they are independent in some cases makes them less attractive, because they are less predictable. But that independence makes them attractive" to candidates who are willing to reach out to young people, he said.

Mr. Glickman added that "campus kids" could become a key voting group in the vein of soccer moms and office-park dads.

"There are at least 10 million students under age 25, and they could determine the next presidential election," Mr. Glickman said.

Among the survey's other findings:

Thirty-four percent of college students said they would support President Bush in the 2004 election, while 32 percent said they would support a Democratic candidate.

More undergraduate students said they considered themselves conservative (31 percent) than liberal (25 percent) on economic issues. On social issues, 37 percent considered themselves liberal, with 25 percent conservative.

Thirty-seven percent of students "strongly supported" the war in Iraq, with 14 percent "strongly opposed."

When asked which single problem in the country concerned them the most, 37 percent of students said the wars in Iraq and on terrorism, and 18 percent identified the economy.

Seventy-four percent of students believe that finding a job will be either difficult or somewhat difficult after graduation.

A full report on the survey is available on the institute's Web site. It can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free.