Study Finds Teens Optimistic About Future
They would rather live with their floppy bellies than without their floppy disks. They count mathematics far more important than English. They would rather save money than save whales. And they think college costs too much.
Overall, though, teenagers today are optimistic about the future, positive about their chances of getting fulfilling jobs, and think they’ll make more money than their parents.
Those snapshots of teen thinking come from a nationwide study of 15to 17-year-olds conducted this summer by the Drexel University Center for Employment Futures and set for release today.
“We’re basically finding that American teens are pretty decent people,” said Arthur Shostak, professor of sociology and director of the center.
“The Future Poll: Teenagers, Technology and Tomorrow” was compiled by researchers who talked by phone with 2,001 teens, chosen randomly, about work, education and their views on what’s ahead for them.The impetus for the poll, he said, was to get college administrators to climb down from their ivory towers and take a good look at their consumers, the 18- to 22-year-olds coming through their doors.
“The notion that 80 percent of these teens tell us they’ve got a personal computer at home knocked our socks off,” he said. However, he said, just about half those with computers said they had access to the Internet.
“We’re puzzled by that,” said Shostak. “To have a computer these days without a modem is like having an automobile with three tires.”
Also unexpected, Shostak said, was the finding that 87 percent expected to continue their studies after high school, and almost half said they believed graduate degrees were important for success.
Researchers are scratching their heads, too, over this result: 62 percent said mathematics was the most important high school subject they’ll take for their careers. Half as many listed English as crucial.
Exercise and fitness was listed as “extremely important” or “very important” by 66 percent.
Becoming financially successful rated higher (81 percent) than helping clean up the environment (62 percent).
Males liked television better than females, although just 36 percent of both sexes saw it as a positive influence.
And despite all the talk of a generation gap, parents got a pretty good ranking: Two-thirds gave their folks a thumbs up.
More information on poll results can be found on Drexel’s Web site, www.drexel.edu
90 percent support the idea of volunteer service in exchange for tuition payments.
xxxx POLL HIGHLIGHTS Highlights of “The Future Poll: Teenagers, Technology and Tomorrow,” conducted by the Drexel University Center for Employment Futures: 80 percent of students surveyed have personal computers at home. 85 percent felt computers were either “extremely” or “very” important in their lives. 87 percent expect to continue their education past high school and nearly half feel graduate degrees are important for success.