What is the Education Consumer Survey?
The Education Consumer Survey, started in 2016 by Gallup and Strada Education Network, is a survey of 350 U.S. adults every day that strives to give a voice to higher education consumers. The survey measures the opinions, experiences and expectations of prospective, current and former students. It includes questions such as whether the coursework that people took is directly relevant to their jobs and whether they would recommend their educational path to other people like them.
Gallup routinely incorporates additional questions into the Education Consumer Survey on a short-term basis. These extra questions cover topical issues such as Americans' views of college funding, diversity in higher education and skills gaps in the workforce.
How are interviews conducted for the Education Consumer Survey?
Gallup interviews U.S. adults aged 18 to 65 living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia using a dual-frame design, which includes both landline and cellphone numbers. Gallup samples landline and cellphone numbers using random-digit-dial methods. Gallup purchases samples for this study from Survey Sampling International (SSI). Gallup chooses landline respondents at random within each household based on which member has the most recent birthday and is between the ages of 18 and 65. Each sample of national adults includes a quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Gallup conducts interviews in Spanish for respondents who primarily speak Spanish.
How many people are interviewed as part of the Education Consumer Survey?
Gallup interviews approximately 350 U.S. adults ages 18 to 65 daily, equaling about 2,450 interviews every week.
How often are the Education Consumer Survey interviews conducted?
Gallup conducts interviews every day, excluding major holidays and other events, for 350 days per year.
Are the Education Consumer Survey samples weighted?
Yes, Gallup weights samples to correct for unequal selection probability, nonresponse and double coverage of landline and cellphone users in the two sampling frames. Gallup also weights its final samples to match the U.S. population according to gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, population density and phone status (cellphone only, landline only, both and cellphone mostly). Demographic weighting targets for the U.S. as a whole and individual states are based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population, while weighting targets for metropolitan areas and congressional districts are based on Nielsen Claritas statistics. Phone status targets are based on the most recent National Health Interview Survey. Population density targets are based on the most recent U.S. Census. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.
Where can I find results from the Education Consumer Survey and learn more about the survey?
Survey results are available on the Education Consumer Survey website. Sign up for Gallup News alerts to get these articles as soon as they are published. For questions about how this survey is conducted, please contact galluphelp@gallup.com.