Knowledge Gap

A new survey by Public Agenda finds high school grads are more doubtful about their financial futures than college grads, fearful of taking on debt for further education.

Public Agenda is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and engagement organization, prepared for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,

Young people who only have a high school degree don’t know much about how to start their college education, with seven in 10 unable to identify the standard federal financial aid form, according to the survey. These knowledge gaps can be fatal hurdles for young people who already admit to doubts about their economic future and whether borrowing money for college is worth it.

In fact, young people with only high school diplomas are much less confident that they’ll be financially secure than those with college degrees. Only 36 percent of high school graduates say it’s “very likely” they’ll be financially secure in their lifetime, compared to 55 percent of college graduates.

“If you don’t have as much education, if you don’t have as much training in your area, you find yourself on the outside looking in,” said one high school graduate in a Washington, D.C. focus group.

“One Degree of Separation: How Young Americans Who Don’t Finish College See Their Chances for Success,” is the third in a series of Public Agenda surveys probing young people’s attitudes on higher education and college completion. Sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the survey examined the views of more than 600 young adults, both those who completed either a college degree or postsecondary certificate and those whose highest educational credential is a high school diploma. Previous editions of the research revealed other critical hurdles that keep young people from completing their education, such as the difficulty of juggling school, work and family life; and the limited counseling many students receive.

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