Report 01/46

The wider benefits of higher education

Report by the Institute of Education, University of London, sponsored by the HEFCE and the Smith Institute

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Introduction and Method
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Results, Labour market outcomes, Skills improvement
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Health and vulnerability, Parenting, Civic engagement, Values and attitudes
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Discussion and conclusions
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Supporting data, available on the web only:

Appendix 1 Frequency distributions
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Appendix 2 - Multivariate analysis results
Part 1
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Part 2
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Summary

1. Introduction

2. Method

Data
Analysis strategy
Variables

3. Results

3.1 Labour market outcomes
3.1.1 Social class and occupation
3.1.2 Unemployment and economic inactivity
3.1.3 Conclusions

3.2 Skills improvement

3.2.1 Improvements in writing, computing and mathematics
3.2.2 Improvements in social skills
3.2.3 Conclusions

3.3 Health and vulnerability

3.3.1 Physical health
3.3.2 Physical health in the BCS70 cohort
3.3.3 Psychological health
3.3.4 Physical vulnerability - accidents and assaults
3.3.5 Conclusions

3.4 Parenting

3.4.1 Educational problems of children
3.4.2 Books owned by children
3.4.3 Conclusions

3.5 Civic engagement

3.5.1 Voting
3.5.2 Engagement in voluntary organisations and community activity
3.5.3 Conclusions

3.6 Values and attitudes

3.6.1 Political cynicism
3.6.2 Gender and race equality
3.6.3 Conclusions

4. Discussion and conclusions

Appendices (available with this document on the HEFCE web-site www.hefce.ac.uk)

Appendix 1 Frequency distributions

Appendix 2 Multivariate analysis results

Acknowledgements

The idea for this research came from the Smith Institute, who, in conjunction with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), sponsored it. The findings were reported at a seminar held at 11 Downing Street as part of a series on the theme of Equality organised by the Smith Institute. Two other papers commissioned by the HEFCE supplied background information for the seminar: Economic Benefits of Higher Education by Gareth Williams of the Post-16 Education Group, Institute of Education, and Graduate Employment: a review of issues by John Brennan, Centre for Higher Education Research and Information, the Open University. The results reported here are more comprehensive than those presented at the seminar and contain some new analysis. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of Sofia Despotidou and Gina Clements, who helped make the data-processing and typing less onerous.

John Bynner and Muriel Egerton

Wider Benefits of Learning Research Centre
Institute of Education
London University

Summary

The research used data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) to assess the effects of higher education on a number of non-economic adult outcomes, with controls in place to take into account earlier family circumstances and earlier educational attainment. Outcomes were mainly assessed at age 33. Control variables spanned the period from 33 back to birth.

Employment

Graduates are much more likely to attain professional or managerial jobs than non-graduates. Mature graduates and non-completers (that is, people who entered higher education, but did not gain a degree) also show an advantage over A-level and below A-level qualifiers.
Graduates are relatively protected from unemployment. However, this is less the case for mature graduates and is not the case for non-completers.

Skills improvement

Graduates of both sexes reported more skill improvement over the past ten years than people with lower qualifications. The effects were particularly marked for mature graduates in verbal, computing and caring skills.

Health and vulnerability

Graduates are relatively more likely to perceive themselves as in 'excellent' physical health. This is also the case, but less strongly so, for mature graduates. A younger cohort (born in 1970) also showed a strong gradient in self-assessed health by qualifications.
Graduates are less likely to show depression than people with below A-level qualifications. Their risk of depression is similar to A-level qualifiers, when family origin and ability are considered as control variables. Non-completers are more likely to show depression than A-level qualifiers.
Graduate men are somewhat less likely to be victims of accidents or assaults than non- graduates, while graduate women are at a lower risk of assault from their partners in dissolving relationships.

Parenting

Graduate parents report fewer educational problems among their children. These children have more books on average than the children of non-graduate parents.

Civic engagement

There is little difference by qualification in frequency of voting, although mature graduates have higher rates of voting.
Graduates are relatively more likely to be members of, and actively involved in, community and voluntary associations, particularly mature male graduates. Non-completers are more likely to be involved than A-level or below A-level respondents.

Attitudes

Graduates are more likely to have egalitarian attitudes to gender equality, and more likely to be anti-racist than non-graduates with A-levels. Women graduates and mature graduates are most likely to have egalitarian attitudes, even when controlling for type of employment.
Graduates have more faith in the political process than non-graduates including those with A-levels. This is most marked for mature graduates.

The research provides convincing evidence of the benefits of higher education; however, more analysis is needed to estimate more precisely the extent and the form of the contribution, over other kinds of experience, that higher education makes.