Southern Focus Poll, South Survey, Spring 1998 - Analysis
EDUCOLJO
Generally speaking, which of the following best represents your opinion about getting a college education? A person has to have a college education in order to get and keep a really good job. Having a college education makes it easier for a person to get and keep a really good job. A person can do just as well or better by spending those years on something else.
| Frequency | Percent | Cumulative Percent | Z-Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1) COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 151 | 18.8% | 18.8% | -1.69 |
| 2) COLLEGE HELPS | 556 | 69.1% | 87.8% | 0.12 |
| 3) PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 98 | 12.2% | 100.0% | 1.93 |
| Missing | 39 | |||
| Total Unweighted N = 805 |
Sex (I-SEX)
| Male | Female | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 15.0%51 | 21.6%100 | 0 | 18.8%151 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 70.1%239 | 68.3%317 | 0 | 69.1%556 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 15.0%51 | 10.1%47 | 0 | 12.2%98 |
| Missing | 15 | 24 | 39 | 0 |
| Total | 100%341 | 100%464 | 805 |
Race (I-RACE)
| White | African American/Black | Other | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 18.3%114 | 19.4%20 | 23.0%14 | 3 | 18.8%148 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 70.7%440 | 63.1%65 | 59.0%36 | 15 | 68.8%541 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 10.9%68 | 17.5%18 | 18.0%11 | 1 | 12.3%97 |
| Missing | 31 | 3 | 4 | 58 | 1 |
| Total | 100%622 | 100%103 | 100%61 | 786 |
Marital status (I-MARITAL)
| Married | Divorced | Separated | Widowed | Single | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 20.5%90 | 19.8%19 | 22.2%6 | 14.1%10 | 15.6%26 | 0 | 18.9%151 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 70.9%312 | 64.6%62 | 51.9%14 | 70.4%50 | 69.5%116 | 2 | 69.2%554 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 8.6%38 | 15.6%15 | 25.9%7 | 15.5%11 | 15.0%25 | 2 | 12.0%96 |
| Missing | 21 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 43 | 0 |
| Total | 100%440 | 100%96 | 100%27 | 100%71 | 100%167 | 801 |
Religion (I-RELIGION)
| Protestant | Catholic | Jewish | Other religion | No religion | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 16.0%90 | 24.3%33 | 58.3%7 | 25.0%11 | 23.7%9 | 1 | 18.9%150 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 72.8%410 | 66.9%91 | 41.7%5 | 50.0%22 | 50.0%19 | 9 | 69.0%547 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 11.2%63 | 8.8%12 | 0.0%0 | 25.0%11 | 26.3%10 | 2 | 12.1%96 |
| Missing | 30 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 51 | 0 |
| Total | 100%563 | 100%136 | 100%12 | 100%44 | 100%38 | 793 |
Political party (I-PARTYID)
| Republican | Democrat | Independent | Other | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 19.0%50 | 18.9%49 | 19.2%38 | 5.3%1 | 13 | 18.7%138 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 71.9%189 | 68.7%178 | 66.7%132 | 73.7%14 | 43 | 69.4%513 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 9.1%24 | 12.4%32 | 14.1%28 | 21.1%4 | 10 | 11.9%88 |
| Missing | 11 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 105 | 6 |
| Total | 100%263 | 100%259 | 100%198 | 100%19 | 739 |
Education (I-EDUC)
| Less than high school | High school graduate | Some college | College graduate | Post college degree | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 15.2%14 | 18.7%43 | 19.8%44 | 15.7%24 | 24.8%26 | 0 | 18.8%151 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 63.0%58 | 65.2%150 | 72.1%160 | 75.8%116 | 65.7%69 | 3 | 69.0%553 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 21.7%20 | 16.1%37 | 8.1%18 | 8.5%13 | 9.5%10 | 0 | 12.2%98 |
| Missing | 8 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 42 | 0 |
| Total | 100%92 | 100%230 | 100%222 | 100%153 | 100%105 | 802 |
Household income (I-INCOME)
| Less than $10,000 | Less than $30,000 | Less than $40,000 | Less then $60,000 | $60,000 or greater | Missing | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COLLEGE NECESSARY TO GOOD JOB | 18.5%5 | 19.8%20 | 14.9%7 | 22.4%17 | 23.4%22 | 80 | 20.6%71 |
| COLLEGE HELPS | 59.3%16 | 66.3%67 | 78.7%37 | 69.7%53 | 64.9%61 | 322 | 67.8%234 |
| PERSON CAN DO AS WELL SPENDING YEARS ON SOMETHING ELSE | 22.2%6 | 13.9%14 | 6.4%3 | 7.9%6 | 11.7%11 | 58 | 11.6%40 |
| Missing | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 499 | 29 |
| Total | 100%27 | 100%101 | 100%47 | 100%76 | 100%94 | 345 |
