College remains a near universal aspiration in this country, even in the face of steeply rising costs. Among parents of a child ages 17 or younger, 94% say they expect their child (or children) to attend college, according to a survey conducted March 15-29, 2011.<\/p>\n\n
About three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed agreed that it is necessary for a woman to have a college education to get ahead in life; 68% said the same about men.<\/p>\n\n
But while Americans place considerable stock in the value of college, they see character traits, not education, as the most important determinants of success in life.Nearly all (96%) people say a good work ethic is extremely or very important; 93% say the same about knowing how to get along with people and 90% say the same about work skills learned on the job. Just 77% of people say that a college education is extremely or very important.<\/p>\n\n
Even with the steady rise in college enrollment levels over the last few decades, the majority of young adults in this country do not attend a four-year college. The main reasons are financial. Among survey respondents (ages 18 to 34) who do not have a bachelor\u2019s degree and are not currently enrolled in school, fully two-thirds cite supporting their family as amajor reason for not continuing their education. Some 57% of this group say they would rather work and make money, and 48% say they can\u2019t afford a college education. One-third (34%) say they didn\u2019t need more education, and just 5% say they didn\u2019t continue their education because they weren\u2019t accepted at their school of choice. Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" College remains a near universal aspiration in this country, even in the face of steeply rising costs. 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