Young Men’s Perceptions of Higher Ed

A new report by the national research organization Public Agenda found that many young men are skeptical of higher ed’s value and are more likely than their female counterparts to believe colleges are better designed for women.

The report, called “Listening to Young Men,” examines the attitudes of American men on higher ed and other topics. Its findings are based on a survey of 3,559 American adults aged 18 or older fielded in November. Public Agenda also conducted three online focus groups with 32 men in September to develop the survey, as well as postsurvey focus groups to add context to the results.

Similar shares of men and women said they believe college credentials are less valuable now than they were a decade ago. Half of men and 55 percent of women said college will be less valuable 10 years from now. And 53 percent of men and 57 percent of women saw college as a “questionable investment.” Men and women also largely viewed bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and trade school credentials as very or somewhat likely to yield well-paying jobs and viewed associate degrees and high school diplomas as interchangeable in terms of job-market value.

But some differences between men and women stood out. Thirty-eight percent of young men agreed that colleges are designed to benefit women more than men, compared to 26 percent of women. Young Black men were more likely to believe this is the case: 46 percent, compared to 37 percent of young white men. Half of young men also said colleges push liberal views, compared to 43 percent of women. And while both men and women said they felt pressure from family, teachers and counselors to pursue college, men were less likely to feel pressure from society at large, according to the report. A higher share of men, 22 percent, said they never considered pursuing a degree after high school, compared to just 11 percent of women.

But 70 percent of men who didn’t earn degrees also said they wished they had better career guidance in high school. Fifty-two percent of them said they missed out on job opportunities, half felt looked down upon and 48 percent said they earned less than others in the same roles because they didn’t have a degree. Most of these men (80 percent) reported wanting to pursue a degree but cited challenges such as affordability or indecision about what to study.