Shedding Light on Influencers of Education Decisions

Respondents, including more than 22,000 U.S. adults, were asked to name up to three sources of advice about their major and rate their helpfulness. Responses were divided into for and informal sources at school, at work, and in the community, and varied between traditional and nontraditional students and across demographic groups.

One surprising implication of these findings is that the most commonly cited channels of advice in choosing a major are not necessarily rated the most helpful. Put simply, the most valued sources of advice are the least used.