Executives give U.S. education system failing grade

According to recent research conducted by Opinion Research Corp., two-thirds (68%) of American corporate leaders feel the American educational system is inferior to those of Japan and Europe in creating “human capital.” One executive in six (16%) feels American schools are doing a “much worse” job than their foreign counterparts. 52% believe that the U.S. system is “somewhat poorer.” Just one percent feel American high schools and colleges are doing a better job, while 8% say they do a somewhat better job. 21% place America’s schools on the same level as those of Europe and Japan.

Only one in ten believes that the level of public funding schools receive is the prime influence on educational quality. Rather, 42% cite the ability of teachers, and 35% cite the quality of curriculum as the most important factors.

But despite their harsh assessment, the executives do not see educational preparation as the dominant influence on how well America competes. In addition to skilled, intelligent workers, executives feel a company needs access to capital, a responsible government fiscal policy, and a level playing field with its foreign competitors.

Jobs rate low in importance among Americans

Americans place the importance of their jobs relatively low on a list of 10 significant aspects of their lives, whereas Japanese and Europeans indicated a greater appreciation of the role of their vocations, a recent survey shows. The survey, conducted by International Research Associates (INRA) and the Roper Organization, asked respondents to rate 10 different items deemed significant to a person’s lifestyle.

Respondents rated items on a scale from 1–10, where one represents the lowest level of importance and 10, the highest. Overall, Americans placed their jobs eighth in importance with a mean score of 5.87. In sharp contrast, Japanese ranked their jobs as the second most important aspect of their lives, with a mean score of7.63. Europeans ranked it fourth with a score of 6.63. Using the same scale from 1–10, respondents were also asked to rate how satisfied they were with the different aspects of their lives. For Americans, job satisfaction was also low, ranking in seventh place. Other findings based on a demographic breakdown of the results found:

  • Men were more likely than women to say they were satisfied with their jobs and that their jobs were important to them.
  • In general, the older people are, the more satisfied they are with their jobs.
  • White collar workers are considerably more satisfied with their jobs than blue collar workers. The survey sample included a total of 8,000 interviews, with 1,000 interviews carried out in each of the six European countries and in the U.S. and Japan. All interviews were conducted in person.

Tax law less fair, survey shows

The new tax law that went into effect is less fair than the old statute, said a majority of Americans questioned in a recent survey conducted by the Conference Board. Public opinion about the tax law has become more negative now that it has been in effect for more than a year, results of the poll indicate. The 5,000 surveyed households were asked how fair they felt the new law was, regardless of how it affected them personally. According to the Conference Board, 53% said they felt the new law was less fair than the old one, while 14% said it was fairer, and 33% said they saw little change from the old law. When a similar survey was taken after the law was passed in 1986, one-third of the respondents said that the statute was less fair.

Those with incomes above $50,000 a year expressed the most dissatisfaction with the new law. In that group, 62% said the new statute was less fair, 15% said it was fairer and 23% said they saw no change. Forty-six percent of the overall respondents in the latest survey said their taxes have gone up since the new law was implemented, while 36% said their taxes were the same and 18% said they were lower.