Social Responsibility Attitudes Among Undergraduate Computer Science Students: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

Scholars have called for improved ethics and social responsibility education in computer science degree programs to better address consequential technological issues in society. Rising public concern about computing technologies represents an existential threat to the credibility of the computing profession itself. Despite increasing calls, relatively little is known about the ethical development and beliefs of computer science students compared to other science and engineering students. This study explores personal and professional social responsibility attitudes among undergraduate computing students at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Using survey results from a sample of 982 students who graduated between 2017 and 2021, it compares social responsibility attitudes across disciplines. Findings indicate significantly lower social responsibility attitudes among computer science students than peers in other disciplines, underlining the need for more effective ethics education in computing programs.