University makes us more left-wing
The new academic year for undergraduate students in Catalonia has already begun, or is about to. Some will go to university for the first time: this year, nearly 60,000 people have pre-registered at one of the Catalan public universities. That said, only 6 out of 10 will study at the center they had chosen as their first preference, a structural challenge that has been dragging on for years. When they finish (and most will), they will be part of the nearly 40% of people aged 15 or over in our country who have higher education, including university degrees or higher vocational training.
The university stage is usually situated in a vital period known as secondary socialization. Beyond childhood, which has already forged part of our character, values, and way of being, the way we think, including our ideology, still has to receive a push in the post-adolescent stage. After all, as some studies indicate, a good part of the acquaintances we make in life occur when we are under 25 years old. The university phase, which usually goes between the end of adolescence and the first adult years, also coincides with a period known as "impressionable years." The attitudes and values we acquire there sculpt our political self. This does not imply that after university a person cannot change their mind, but it is precisely during this vital stage when people fill an ideological bag that they can carry for a long time.
But what ideology are we talking about? Does the university stage politicize? It is true that participation at the polls does not reach its peak, on average, until we are between 50 and 65 years old, and that the most common pattern for university students in elections is abstention. However, political activation can occur in many forms, from associationism to protest.
A not-so-random choice
The evidence gathered so far indicates that the time spent at university modifies, even if only slightly, our values and attitudes. On one hand, however, it is worth noting that the choice of a university degree is not a random event. Students will enroll in studies they have chosen, but, for sociological, economic, political reasons, or all of them at once, they will have peers who resemble them. For example, if we look at the data from Catalonia, we observe that some stereotypes are fulfilled. Although the university student, compared to the general population, is located further to the left, it is observed that students in economics and business or law degrees are the most conservative. At the opposite extreme, we find students of architecture, political science, communication, and life sciences, who are more left-leaning. In contrast, other specialties, such as education and computer science, have students with more moderate positions and a less politicized profile.
Research conducted in other countries shows us that, even taking into account this self-selection, the time spent at university can slightly modify people's ideology. In the United Kingdom, for example, it has been shown that levels of racial prejudice or authoritarianism decrease during the time spent at university. Likewise, in a pattern that has been confirmed in the United States, university students who choose specialties related to the natural sciences or the social sciences and humanities become more left-leaning than they already were, while those in economics and law make precisely the opposite journey.
In our country, the lack of data prevents us from carrying out a similar exercise. However, if we focus on the effect of the LOGSE, the education law that was approved in 1990 and which extended the compulsory stage up to 16 years of age, we observe a similar pattern. Thus, while the law was being rolled out, those who completed two additional years of compulsory education ended up being more left-leaning than those who were of a similar age and finished their education earlier. Mind you: for the moment, we do not know if this shift to the left is the result of the content being studied, the effect of the relationships formed, political action within the university, or all of these things at once.
The curious chart of the week
What do we pay in taxes and what do we receive from institutions? A classic question that perhaps many readers ask themselves when it is time to file their tax returns, take the commuter train, or visit the doctor. The answer, beyond individual ideology, also depends significantly on our age. The difference between what we pay and what we receive follows a life-cycle trajectory: an average individual is a net recipient during old age and in the stage from childhood to immediate post-adolescence. According to calculations made by an EsadeEcPol report, an average individual's fiscal balance reaches its peak around the age of 50: at this age, a net contribution of about €11,000 per year is made. In contrast, around the age of 70, the deficit is about 16,000 euros per year. In a normal year, about 41% of the population is a net contributor. A figure that, given the demographic evolution, is on its way to continue falling.