Satisfaction with Higher Education Stands to Improve

In a recent article that appeared in the New York Times, “Rich and Poor Further Apart in Education,”(February 10, 2012, pp. A1), a number of studies reported that the gap in achievement across the rich and poor is widening in the U.S.  In particular, these studies show that the academic achievement is no longer a function of race or ethnicity, but rather a function of income.  

The American Dream Composite Index (ADCI) survey results from the most recent survey confirm the findings discussed in the New York Times article. The ADCI collects data from a sample of 1,000 individuals on several dimensions including two related to Education.  Specifically, the ADCI measures the satisfaction with respect to ‘Educational Quality’ and ‘Access to Education’ among the individuals surveyed on a scale of 0-100 with 100 being complete satisfaction.   People with an income of more than 100K report their satisfaction with Access to Education at 81.36 compared to 61.93 individuals with an income of less than 100K. These numbers do not change if race or ethnicity is accounted for.  

However, the satisfaction with respect to Education Quality are much lower – people with income of greater than 100K report their satisfaction with Education Quality a 50.22 compared to 52.55 for individuals with an income of less than 100K.  The level of satisfaction with respect to Education Quality remains very low across various demographic groups classified by race and ethnicity.  It is interesting to note that while income level determines the level of access to education, the overall satisfaction with the quality of education irrespective of whether one is rich or poor is of concern for the U.S.

The Dream of an Advanced Education

The American Dream Composite Index was designed to measure the relative hopes, dreams, and aspirations of folks living in the United States.  It seems that one of the aspirations often mentioned when speaking of the Dream is access to a quality and advanced education.  The belief is that if one is able to achieve an advanced education (beyond high school) they will be that much closer to achieving the American Dream in comparison to those who do not.

Well, the ADCI collects many demographics of our survey respondents, including Education level.  One of the unique features of the ADCI (versus other sentiment measurements) is the ability to view aggregated data by these demographics.  Taking a quick peek at January 2012 ADCI results by several broad education level categories with completed degrees, we find:

• Full ADCI:                     63.96
• High School Graduate:   60.17
• College Degree:             64.88
• Graduate Degree:           67.45

The results show that, on average, as someone advances their education, they begin to realize more of their American Dream.  While it seems that education is the panacea for the American Dream, it certainly is NOT.  In future blogs, we will begin to look more closely at other demographic segments and their impact on the Dream.  Do Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Marital Status, etc. advance the Dream?  Stay tuned!

Men, Women and the American Dream

          According to the current American Dream Composite Index (ADCI) findings, men are achieving their American Dream at a slightly higher level than women—64.80 and 63.18 respectively.  Although it is still too early to determine the stability of this trend, we can look to past social science research to provide some context or perspective regarding this finding.

Historically, women compared to men have been observed to have more troubled psychological profiles.  Women typically report lower levels of internal control and morale and higher levels of depression compared to men.  One study by Carol D. Ryff found that across the six psychological well-being dimensions of self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth, women scored significantly higher than men on the positive relations with others and personal growth dimensions (no other significant differences across men and women were found).   

As we continue to regularly track the American Dream, we can pay special attention to differences across the sexes on the various ADCI indices (and sub-indices) in order to better understand the extent to which these two groups are realizing their American Dream.

February!

As we continue to collect survey responses for February’s ADCI, we look back over the past several months and wonder what is to come in the near future as it pertains to the American Dream.  After three straight months of decline, the American Dream saw a nearly one point gain in January’s ADCI.  So, as a nation, we moved 1% closer to fully realizing the American Dream.  This is quite a move but is it sustainable?  Based on recent experience, it would not appear so.  In fact, our trend shows that last month’s gain should be marginally reduced in February as we take into account the three month slide ending in January.  Any such correction should be not seen as a set-back, but rather an opportunity for our aspirations to grow gradually as our economy slowly recovers.

The value of the American Dream will prove difficult to predict in 2012 as many social and economic predictions foretell of difficult times ahead (http://www.boston.com/business/gallery/economic_predictions_2012/).  However, as we do recover as a nation, we believe that the American Dream Composite Index^TM will illuminate the areas of strength and weakness in the recovery.

The Importance of Common Values (Part 2)

In a continuation of last week’s blog concerning recent increases in both the trust in business and trust in government sub-indices of the American Dream Composite Index, we again refer to the report by the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics in order to better understand how public trust in these institutions is created and maintained.  Beyond creating and sharing common values/interests with the public, businesses and government organizations must address the inherent power imbalances that often exist between individuals and these institutions.  Businesses and governments must work to assure that both risks and opportunities are shared fairly across both parties and, in cases where power imbalances are inevitable, work to limit feelings of vulnerability on the part of the public.  Any examples of how these elements of trust are either facilitating or hindering the degree to which you trust businesses and/or government institutions?

The Super Bowl of Trust?

With the Super Bowl having come and gone and an entire array of multi-million dollar ads up for debate, I wonder if the on-air mass marketing campaigns were really worth the cost and effort.  I suppose the idea of having over 150 million people see your product or service at the same time is exciting.  And while the job of teasing out the effectiveness of the advertisements will take time and some creativity, the efforts must be justified as all available spots were consumed.  However, not everyone believes it is a good investment (http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/02/05/watch-now-why-do-you-invest-the-motley-fools-super.aspx). 

Super Bowl advertisements are designed for general branding purposes and offer few definitive metrics for return-on-investment.  One metric that seems to be completely overlooked in this tool box is Trust in Business.  While one can perceive a clever ad, he or she can also spot a canard.  Rather than simply trying to build a brand based on clever ads, it seems that building trust in a business and its brand would be more beneficial in the long run.  For businesses, this is an exciting opportunity.  With trust in businesses severely diminished at the moment (as measured by the American Dream Composite Index^TM ), businesses could be richly rewarded for renewing the trust they’ve seen erode.   So, for me, it raises the question:  Is the return to prosperity for businesses rooted in the trust consumers have in them?  In the coming months (or years), the results of our survey will ultimately provide the answer!

Freedom in 2012

The American Dream, as we see it, is the amalgam of many dreams for folks coming to or living in the United States…35 significant dreams to be exact.  Each dream or dimension supports the overall idea of the American Dream and is valued separately.  As originators of the ADCI, we often get asked to identify the dream or dreams that are furthest along (have the highest score).  Well, since the beginning of our data collection, two dimensions have stood out and they are both freedoms:  freedom of expression and political freedom.  Through these tough economic times, both dimensions have seen scores well above 80.  That is, with each, we are well over 80% of the way to fully achieving these dreams in the United States.  While not perfect, these are by far the leaders among other dimensions. In fact our Trust in Government has averaged below 40 in this same time frame.  As we move forward in the 2012 election process, it does give us hope that our ability to express ourselves, vote freely, and make our own political choices represent the dreams that are most valued and farthest along.