Full Citation
Title: Intended college attendance: Evidence from an experiment on college returns and costs
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2018
ISBN:
ISSN: 00472727
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.11.002
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: We conduct an information experiment about college returns and costs embedded within a representative survey of US household heads. Baseline perceptions of college costs and benefits are substantially biased, with larger biases among lower-income and non-college households. Respondents are randomly exposed to objective information about average college “returns” or costs. We find a significant impact of the “returns” experiment, persisting in a follow-up survey two months later: intended college attendance expectations increase by about 0.2 of the standard deviation in the baseline likelihood, and gaps by household income or parents’ education decline by 20–30%. We find no impact of the cost information treatment. Further analysis supports the information's salience, as opposed to information-based updating, as the main channel through which the returns intervention impacts intentions.
Url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004727271730186X
Url: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S004727271730186X
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Bleemer, Zachary; Zafar, Basit
Periodical (Full): Journal of Public Economics
Issue:
Volume: 157
Pages: 184-211
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Education
Countries: United States