1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« [...] the goal of this study is to decompose the gap in university attendance into an explained component and an unexplained component. The explained portion of the gap provides an estimate of the reduction in the total gap that we would expect to see if the two groups had the same observable characteristics. Specifically, the explained portion is simply the difference in the characteristics of youth from different parts of the income distribution, multiplied by the ’impact’ that the characteristic has on the probability of university attendance. » (p. 284-285)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
Les données proviennent de la cohorte A du Youth in Transition Survey, enquête menée par Statistique Canada.

Instruments:
- questionnaire de l’étudiant
- questionnaire du parent

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« This study attempts to shed light on the large gap in university attendance that exists across the income distribution. Using YITS-A, I find that 96 percent of the total gap in university attendance between youth from the top and bottom income quartiles can be accounted for by differences in observable characteristics. Differences in long-term factors such as standardized test scores in reading obtained at age 15, school marks reported at age 15, parental influences, and high school quality account for 84 percent of the gap. In contrast, only 12 percent of the gap is related to self-reported financial constraints. » (p. 279)