Socioeconomic background and higher education participation: an analysis of school students’ aspirations and expectations

Differential higher education participation rates between community groups are found in most developed nations, despite the overall expansion of higher education towards mass systems. Imbalances in higher education participation remain a problem in Australia. This report is concerned with one underrepresented group, people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. On crude figures, Australians from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have roughly half the likelihood of participating in higher education as Australians from medium and higher socioeconomic backgrounds. This degree of inequity has remained relatively stable for over a decade, despite extensive equity initiatives across the system as a whole. To shed further light on the problem, this report investigates the attitudes of senior school students towards higher education. It is based on data from a previous survey of over 7000 Year 10-12 students in three states, Western Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria, conducted for the former Higher Education Council. The project surveyed students across all socioeconomic strata and across urban, rural and isolated locations, allowing comparison of the differing aspirations and expectations of young people regarding education and the possibility of higher education. The study reveals appreciable social stratification in the opinions of senior secondary students about the relevance and attainability of a university education. Overall, young people’s interest in tertiary education is strong. Around 90 per cent of the sample reported that, all things being equal and imagining no constraints, they would prefer to undertake tertiary education of some kind after school.

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