Students’ Attitudes Towards Economic Growth and Income Inequalities: Does the Field of Study Matter?

Journal of Social Research & Policy, Volume: 3, Issue: 1, pp. 55-72.

Date: July 2012

ISSN: 2067-2640 (print), 2068-9861 (electronic)

Abstract: A basic premise of university educators is that studying has impact on students. We examine attitudes of university students towards economic growth and income inequalities. We ask what kind of association exists between different study disciplines and students’ attitudes towards issues linked to the notion of the welfare state. We also examine whether such attitudes are altered during the course of one’s studies. The longitudinal data used is based on internet questionnaires sent to students at Finnish universities between 2005 and 2008. Empirical results suggest that the overall response profile of economics and business students differ from those in other fields. In addition, for most disciplines, attitudes do not change considerably over the course of one’s studies.

Keywords: Economic Growth Attitudes, Income Inequality Attitudes, Impacts of Higher Education