Demographics

In 2007, 43% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 had no college experience. There are more youth today with college experience than there were in the late 1960’s.

The unemployment rate for youth with no college experience was more than double that of youth with college experience in 2007 (11% vs. 4%).

Source: Youth Demographics - Youth with No College Experience

Voting

Continuing the trend observed in the past elections, young people with no college experience were underrepresented in the 2008 presidential election. In 2008, young people with college experience were almost twice as likely to vote as those without college experience (62% vs. 36%). Between the 2000 and 2008 presidential elections, turnout among college-educated young people increased one point more than it did among lesser-educated youth.

Source: The Youth Vote in 2008,  Young Voters in the 2008 Presidential Election

Civic Engagement

Non-college youth are less engaged than they were in the 1970s in nine out of ten forms of civic engagement.

Source: “Civic Engagement and the Changing Transition to Adulthood”

Volunteering

In 2008, non-college youth (ages 20-29) had an 11% volunteer rate, while youth with college experience reported a higher rate of 25%. The plurality of non-college youth who volunteered in 2006, volunteered with a religious organization (37 percent).

Source: Volunteering and College Experience

Military Service

48 percent of 18-25 year olds in the military are youth with no college experience . (2006)

Source: 2006 Youth Demographics

Resources

Fact sheets:

Reports: