It’s no secret that earning a college degree makes you more employable. It’s estimated that college graduates with a bachelor’s degree earn at least $17,000 more than people with a high school diploma or two-year degree. This degree is more recession-proof when compared with high school graduates, and those with a college degree have a decreased chance of living in poverty. It’s also indicative of being more satisfied with your work. Spending time and money getting a degree is worth it, according to Pew Research.
Pew Research even studied which religious groups are the most educated. You might be in for a surprise when you see which religions have members with the most college degrees. Here are some of the findings indicating the percentage of adults in the United States who have a college degree:
- Hindu: 77 percent
- Unitarian Universalist: 67 percent
- Jewish: 59 percent
- Episcopal Church: 56 percent
- Buddhist: 47 percent
- Atheist: 43 percent
- Agnostic: 42 percent
- Muslim: 39 percent
- United Methodist Church: 37 percent
- Mormon: 33 percent
- All U.S. adults: 27 percent
- Catholic: 26 percent
- Southern Baptist Convention: 19 percent
- Jehovah’s Witness: 12 percent
Hindus also have a higher rate of post-graduate degrees at 48 percent. About 31 percent of Jews have post-graduate education, and only 9 percent of Christians do. Educational attainment correlates with economic success. Jews and Hindus tend to have higher household incomes than many other Americans. Given that they have higher rates of educational attainment, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Expectations and Affordability of a College Degree
According to Pew Research, over 94 percent of parents expect their child to attend college, but 75 percent of the public believe college is too expensive. While there are ways to minimize the costs of college, not everyone qualifies for financial aid or scholarships. Some students take classes at a community college before transferring to a four-year university to cut costs. Not only will you save money, but the classes are generally smaller with more access to the professor than at a bigger school. It’s a good way to make the transition from high school to college.
Pew research also studied college majors. Graduates with a science and engineering degree generally say that their current job is very closely related to their major. Business majors and social science majors are less likely to work in a job related to their majors, but they still tend to earn more than individuals with just a high school diploma.
The cost of not going to college is much more expensive than it used to be. From 1979 to 1986, when Baby Boomers were graduating, the percent of those in poverty was about 10 percent. Today, 22 percent of Millennials live in poverty. The likelihood of a millennial living in poverty increases as the amount of education decreases.
This research demonstrates how religion affects someone’s life outside of worship and faith. Pew Research has also done extensive studies on how religion influences Americans. Those who are highly religious, which is defined as those who pray and attend religious services each week, typically gather with their family more often than those considered not highly religious. Individuals who are highly religious also tend to be more involved in volunteerism than those who are not.
On the other hand, when it came to social consciousness, religion was not a factor. Recycling occurred at the same rate for both highly and not highly religious people. Nor did religiousness make a difference in whether someone considered the company’s environmental record when shopping. Highly religious and not highly religious exercised at about the same rate, too.
Now we know that religion can be indicative of whether a person will go to college. If you have children, you should examine your own beliefs about college and its importance for your child. College does have many benefits beyond job advancement and salary.