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Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006 at 12:30 p.m. 

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Paul F. Hassen
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Poll Reveals Gap Between Public and Policy-Makers on U.S. Competitiveness and Math and Science Education

Public Blames Cheap Labor for Loss of Competitiveness, Reluctant to Boost Math and Science Requirements

Washington, DC (December 6, 2006)—Eighty-five percent of Americans view cheap labor rather than the development of a more skilled workforce overseas as the most significant threat to United States competitiveness, according to the results of a poll commissioned by Solutions for Our Future and released today.

While policy-makers and opinion leaders in the United States recently have paid significant attention to maintaining America’s competitive advantage in the global economy and have proposed meeting the challenges by focusing on enhancing human capital in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, the public has a different view of the challenge and the potential solutions.

Less than one-third of the public (31 percent) believe that math and science classes offered to students not majoring in those fields are “very relevant” to life after graduation. In addition, only a slight majority of the public (54 percent) believe that all students should have to take more math and science courses.

“There is a significant disconnect between the general public and policy-makers and higher education leaders on the subject of maintaining and enhancing our global competitiveness,” said David Ward, president of the American Council on Education, which manages the Solutions for Our Future campaign for a coalition of colleges, universities and community and business partners.  “The public views our global competitiveness as a threat to wage levels, while policy-makers view the issue as a need for a better prepared workforce.  What is clear is that higher education leaders and policy-makers must do a better job of communicating with the public about the importance of math and science education to the economic success of future generations of Americans.”

The survey results were published in the report Math and Science Education and United States Competitiveness: Does the Public Care? (PDF) The national survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted Sept. 6-7, 2006 by The Winston Group and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.

Among the key findings:

• Americans understand that global competitiveness is an issue in the short- to mid-term time frame.  Sixty-two percent placed the United States at the top or near the top of the global economy. However, less than half (49 percent) believe the United States will be at or near the top of the global economy in 20 years.
• Americans believe overall math and science education is important to U.S. global competitiveness, but are unclear on the importance of math and science after graduation.  Seventy percent believe that general math and science skills will be very important to all college graduates in the 21st century. Most Americans (86 percent) believe that some countries, such as China and India, are putting in place policies intended to create a highly skilled technical workforce.
• Despite the belief among most American that general math and science skills are important, many do not believe that colleges and universities should require all students to take more math and science courses. Americans are split evenly on whether colleges and universities are currently requiring enough math and science (46 percent agreed and 46 percent disagreed). Only a slight majority (54 percent) believe that all students should be required to take more math and science courses.
• There is strong support for policies intended to bolster American global competitiveness through the cultivation of talent in the STEM fields.  Eighty-five percent favored a program to offer scholarships specifically for students majoring in math and science.  Eighty-seven percent would support college scholarships for students who pass Advanced Placement tests in math and science. Forty-four percent believe that more students do not take math and science courses because “they think it is too difficult” and 33 percent believe it is either “uninteresting” or “not presented in an engaging way.”
• The role of K-12 education is viewed as crucial, as many respondents believe engaging and adequate student preparation in the STEM fields is a necessary component in attracting students to these career fields.  Only 19 percent said college students are “extremely” or “very well” prepared for college, while 56 percent believe students are somewhat well prepared, but with gaps in their preparation.

Solutions for Our Future is a national campaign to increase public awareness of the many ways that American colleges and universities serve the public. Launched in March 2006, Solutions is managed by the American Council on Education on behalf of a coalition encompassing the full range of public and private colleges and universities, along with community and business partners including TIAA-CREF, NCAA and Campus Compact. For more information about Solutions for Our Future, visit the web site: www.solutionsforourfuture.org.

Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.

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