International Education: Essential, Not a Frill - A Public Opinion Survey on the Importance of International Education

The results of a public opinion survey conducted by NAFSA, released yesderday, show that despite concerns about jobs and the state of the economy, Americans consider international education to be essential to the educational experience of today’s students.

The highlights include:

73% of Americans believe that colleges must do a better job of teaching students about the world if they are to be prepared to compete in the global economy

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Nearly two-thirds (65%) agree that without foreign-language skills, young people will be at a “competitive disadvantage in their career

The majority consider study abroad a “vital component of an education that prepares [students] for success in the global workplace” and believe international education is “very or moderately essential to the educational experience” of American students

You can read the full report at www.nafsa.org/OpinionSurvey. NAFSA is also running a grassroots campaign on www.ConnectingOurWorld.org where international education advocates in the United States are writing to President Obama and their members of Congress, reminding them that international education is a vital investment, and that the American public considers it a priority.