82% of parents are convinced that these days it is vital to have a degree

The data was gathered during a survey of Russian families with children aged between 4 and 22 as part of the Monitoring of Education Markets and Organisations by the HSE and the Public Opinion Foundation in autumn 2013. The project is coordinated by ISSEK Centre for Statistics and Monitoring of Education.

Five years ago 88% of Russian families with pre-school, school and university aged children believed it was important to have a university diploma. The firm belief that higher education matters has been shaken in families where parents left school at 17 as well in those where parents got a degree.

The most serious change over the past five years has happened in families where the parents only had basic vocational training. In that group, the number convinced of the importance of higher education has fallen by 12 persentage points. In families where at least one parent has a degree, there is a drop of 4 persentage points.

So, basic and secondary vocational training is gradually coming to be regarded by the population as a viable alternative to higher education.

An information bulletin on the research will be published in the second half of this year.

Source: HSE website