05/04/2015
education
data
education
evidence
education
policy
education
analysis
education
statistics
10
IN
2013/01 (January)
1
Education Indicators in Focus
–
2013/01 (January)
©
OECD 2013
EDUCATION
INDICATORS
FOCUS
What are the social benefits of education?
Education brings wide-ranging benefits to the society.
For instance, more educated people tend to live longer...
What is the ultimate purpose of education? Early philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato pointed out that
education was central to the moral fulfilment of individuals and the well-being of the society in which they live. In
the past few decades, research has supported this conventional wisdom, revealing that education not only enables
individuals to perform better in the labour market, but also helps to improve their overall health, promote active
citizenship and contain violence. The analysis below presents evidence on the relationship between education
and social outcomes including health, civic engagement and subjective well-being across many OECD countries.
Life expectancy reflects a long trajectory of individuals’ socio-economic circumstances that affect their health
conditions and other mortality risks. In OECD countries, life expectancy at birth, on average, reached 80 years
in 2010. Women live almost six years longer than men, averaging 83 years vs. 77 for men.
Data show that life expectancy is strongly associated with education. On average, among 15 OECD countries
with available data, a 30-year-old tertiary-educated man can expect to live eight years longer than a 30
-
year
-
old
man who has not completed upper secondary education. Among men in Central European countries there are
particularly large differences in life expectancy by level of education. A 30-year-old tertiary-educated man in
the Czech Republic can expect to live 17 years longer than a 30-year-old man who has not completed upper
secondary education. In the 15 OECD countries analysed, differences in life expectancy by level of education
are generally much smaller among women. On average, a tertiary-educated woman can expect to live four
years longer than a woman without an upper secondary education.
Whether these observed associations also reflect causal effects is a matter of debate. The associations may,
for instance, reflect the fact that healthier children not only achieve more education but also become healthier
adults.
On average across 15 OECD countries, a 30-year-old male tertiary graduate can expect to live
another 51 years, while a 30 year-old man who has not completed upper secondary education
can expect to live an additional 43 years. A similar comparison between women in the two
educational groups reveals less of a difference than that among men.
In 27 OECD countries, on average, 80% of young tertiary graduates say they vote, while
only 54% of young adults who have not completed upper secondary education do so.
The difference in voting rates by level of education is much smaller among older
age groups.
Education can bring significant benefits to society, not only through higher
employment opportunities and income but also via enhanced skills, improved
social status and access to networks. By fully recognising the power of
education, policy makers could better address diverse societal challen
