Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 8, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
May 8, 2017: One of the many changes in American society over the past four decades has been a dramatic increase in the number of people attending college.
Today, 66 percent of young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 have attended college. That’s up from 43 percent in 1975. Those figures include the 37 percent who have earned a four-year college degree—up from 23 percent in 1975.[1]
There has also been a dramatic gender shift in college attendance. Back in 1975, young adult men were more likely than young adult women to have spent time on campus. Forty-nine percent of men had attended college alongside 37 percent of women.
| The trend of ever more people attending college is likely to continue in the immediate future. |
But today, 70 percent of young adult women have attended college, compared to just 62 percent of young adult men. And 40 percent of young adult women have completed a four-year college degree, while only 34 percent of men have done so.
In my forthcoming book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not, I define the 1970s as a pivotal decade that began a “Great Turnaround” in American society. The book shows the importance of noting societal changes because the culture leads and politicians lag behind.
The trend of ever more people attending college is likely to continue in the immediate future. While 66 percent of young adults have attended college, Friday’s Number of the Day showed that a slightly higher number—just under 70 percent—of last year’s high school graduates are already in college.
How long will this trend continue? It's impossible to know. The digital revolution and cultural changes launched in the Great Turnaround are likely to reshape the structure of formal education in the coming years.
- May 5, 2017 69.7 percent of 2016 high school graduates are in college
- May 4, 2017 241 years ago today Rhode Island declared independence from Great Britain
- May 3, 2017 45 years since a majority of Americans have trusted the federal government
- May 2, 2017 97 percent of women who strongly supported Trump in 2016 satisfied with job he's doing
- May 1, 2017 6.5 billion dollars spent on the 2016 election
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Higher education graduation rates
- State data on colleges considering race in admissions
Footnotes
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