However, in taking a more granular look at the situation through the lens of demographics, the study found that those favorable views toward the value of a college degree or credential are more common among Blacks and Hispanics than they are among Whites.
More specifically, 72 and 73 percent of Hispanics and Blacks, respectively, say it is “very important” to increase the proportion of Americans with a degree or professional certificate beyond high schools, whereas just 56 percent of Whites held such a view.
Further, whereas 78 and 74 percent of Hispanics and Blacks say having a postsecondary degree will be “more important in the future to get a good job,” just 67 percent of Whites believe that is the case.
So what’s the reason behind the divergence along racial lines? Could it be that Whites deem a college education as less crucial to their futures than Hispanics and Blacks do because more Whites have actually attained a postsecondary degree—44 percent—and have thus tested the theory on the value of a college degree and found it not to be true? Or could it be that Whites have more social capital and networking opportunities that make a college degree less important?
With respect to Hispanics and Blacks, could it be that more deem a college degree as vital to their success because fewer—20 and 28 percent, respectively—have actually attained a postsecondary degree and thus have been less able to test the theory about its value?
Or could it be that non-Whites value a college degree more because, as recent research has found, higher levels of education are required to attain the same employment prospects as less educated Whites?
