Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2003 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest

Table 393. Percent of 1972 and 1992 high school seniors who felt that certain life values were "very important," by sex: Selected years, 1972 to 1994

______________________________________________________________________________________________________
                             |         Percent of 1972 seniors        | Percent of  1992 seniors
                             |________________________________________|_______________________________
            Value            |            |1974 (2 years|1976 (4 years|            |  1994 (2 years
                             |    1972    | after high  | after high  |    1992    |   after high
                             |            |   school)   |   school)   |            |    school)
                             |____________|_____________|_____________|____________|__________________
                             |Male |Female| Male |Female| Male |Female|Male |Female|Total|Male |Female
_____________________________|_____|______|______|______|______|______|_____|______|_____|_____|______
              1              |  2  |  3   |  4   |  5   |  6   |  7   |  8  |  9   | 10  | 11  |  12
_____________________________|_____|______|______|______|______|______|_____|______|_____|_____|______
                             |     |      |      |      |      |      |     |      |     |     |
Being successful in work ....| 86.5|  83.0|  81.2|  74.9|  80.3|  69.7| 89.0|  89.6| 90.1| 89.9|  90.3
Finding steady work .........| 82.3|  73.7|  74.7|  59.9|  79.3|  62.1| 87.1|  88.6| 89.7| 88.7|  90.7
Having lots of money ........| 26.0|   9.8|  17.8|   9.1|  17.7|   9.4| 45.3|  29.4| 35.2| 39.5|  30.9
Being a leader in the        |     |      |      |      |      |      |     |      |     |     |
  community .................| 14.9|   8.0|   8.5|   4.4|   9.2|   4.2| --- |  --- | --- | --- |  ---
Correcting inequalities .....| 22.5|  31.1|  16.6|  18.2|  16.2|  17.1| 17.0|  23.6| --- | --- |  ---
                             |     |      |      |      |      |      |     |      |     |     |
Having children .............|  ---|  --- |  --- |  --- |  --- |  --- | 39.0|  49.2| --- | --- |  ---
Having a happy family life ..| 78.6|  85.7|  83.1|  86.7|  84.2|  86.4| --- |  --- | --- | --- |  ---
Providing better opportu-    |     |      |      |      |      |      |     |      |     |     |
  nities for my children ....| 66.6|  66.2|  59.5|  61.6|  59.8|  58.8| 74.5|  76.5| 90.5| 90.3|  90.8
Living closer to parents     |     |      |      |      |      |      |     |      |     |     |
   or relatives .............|  6.8|   8.2|   8.3|  12.4|   7.7|  11.9| 15.2|  18.7| --- | --- |  ---
Moving from area ............| 14.3|  14.6|   8.3|   7.4|   6.7|   6.4| 20.7|  20.1| --- | --- |  ---
                             |     |      |      |      |      |      |     |      |     |     |
Having strong friendships ...| 81.2|  78.7|  76.5|  74.7|  76.1|  72.1| 79.8|  80.0| 87.6| 88.1|  87.0
Having leisure time .........|  ---|  --- |  60.9|  55.1|  65.4|  60.1| 65.3|  62.0| --- | --- |  ---
_____________________________|_____|______|______|______|______|______|_____|______|_____|_____|______

---Not available.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, "Base Year (NLS:72)," "Second Follow-up (NLS:72/74)," and "Third Follow-up (NLS:72/76);" and The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92) and (NELS:88/94), "Second Follow-up, Student Survey, 1992" and "Third Follow-up, 1994." (This table was prepared June 1995.)


2003 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest