Tertiary study’s impact on views of the political process

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Taken from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Education at a Glance 2015, it shows that on average, people in England with tertiary education are 10 percentage points more likely to report feeling politically empowered, compared with those who have only upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary qualifications (controlled for gender, age and monthly earnings).

The effect appeared to be strongest in Northern Europe, with the Netherlands, Norway and Finland demonstrating a significant rise in graduates’ sense of political empowerment.

The report found that on average, tertiary education boosted citizens’ sense that they had a say in government by 13 percentage points across the countries surveyed.

david.matthews@tesglobal.com