10%

of Russian families with children are convinced that obtaining any higher education is important for a child but that the field of study and the university do not matter. The share of people holding this view is higher (14%) among families with children who are already prospective students. These statistics were obtained during a survey of Russian families with children ranging in age from 4 to 22 years, that was conducted in the fall of 2013 as part of the Monitoring of Education Markets and Organisations (MEMO) carried out jointly by HSE and the Public Opinion Foundation.

The majority of parents (55% of Russian families) said that it is important not only to choose the right area of study but also to select the right university. A quarter of families (24%) believe that choosing the right area of study is the most important thing, with the university being less important. A small minority believes that the reputation of the university itself is what matters most; only 5% of parents stated that children need to enter the “right” university and that their field of study is less important.

A newsletter highlighting the research is planned for publication in the second half of 2014.

Source: HSE website