CBS Survey: 70% of Young Israelis Expect to Earn an Academic Degree

A recent survey conducted by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) examining the attitudes of young adults toward higher education reveals that 70.1% of 22-year-olds expect to earn at least an academic degree. The data, gathered from individuals born in 2004, highlights notable gender differences, with 75% of women anticipating a degree compared to 65.4% of men.

Motivations and Academic Ambitions

According to the survey, the primary motivation for pursuing higher education is the opportunity to work in an interesting field, cited by 49.8% of respondents. This is followed by economic advancement at 30%, and a general love of learning at 16.7%. Interestingly, only 2.1% of respondents who expressed no clear intention of enrolling in academic studies pointed to the psychometric exam or admission requirements as the main deterrent.

High School Achievement and Higher Education

The findings also underscore the strong correlation between high school performance and future academic aspirations. Among those entitled to a matriculation (bagrut) certificate, 81.1% expect to obtain an academic degree, compared to 53.3% among those without one. Furthermore, 34.4% of individuals with an advanced technological matriculation have already applied for academic studies, which is 3.5 times higher than the 9.9% application rate among other students.

Entrance Exams and Gender Gaps

By the time of the survey, 16.3% of the 2004 birth cohort had taken the psychometric entrance examination. The average score for men stood at 564.5 points, outpacing the average score of 528 points for women. Distinct gaps were observed in the quantitative section—with men averaging 115.3 points compared to 105.3 for women—and in English, where men scored an average of 113.2 against 101.9 for women. However, scores in the verbal section were nearly identical, with men averaging 106.2 and women 105.6 points.

Popular Fields of Study

When looking at actual enrollment, engineering and architecture emerged as the leading fields of study among accepted students at 16.9%, closely followed by social sciences at 16.3%, mathematics, statistics, and computer science at 14.6%, and business and management sciences at 14.3%. Gender disparities remain prominent across specific disciplines: women account for roughly 90.5% of accepted students in health professions, 85.3% in education, and 82% in the social sciences. Conversely, men make up approximately 56.4% of students in mathematics, statistics, and computer science, while enrollment in engineering and architecture shows a balanced gender distribution.