BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Notes: Counts are in bold and precede items they are counting. Missing values are not included in the counts. Percentages for multiple selection items are based on the total number of active cases.
5817 (48.6%) Lower division
6140 (51.4%) Upper division
Number of cases: 11,957
Response rate for core items (overall UCUES response rate): 51.4%
Margin of error for core items (overall UCUES margin of error): ±0.6%
1. When did you come to the United States to live?
7566 (72.8%) I was born in the U.S.
809 (7.8%) 1991 or earlier
157 (1.5%) 1992
123 (1.2%) 1993
111 (1.1%) 1994
128 (1.2%) 1995
127 (1.2%) 1996
115 (1.1%) 1997
145 (1.4%) 1998
152 (1.5%) 1999
191 (1.8%) 2000
207 (2.0%) 2001
175 (1.7%) 2002
175 (1.7%) 2003
126 (1.2%) 2004
84 (0.8%) 2005 or later
2. When did you learn to speak English?
6241 (60.3%) English is my native language
2072 (20.0%) Before I was 5 years old
1190 (11.5%) When I was 6 to 10 years old
617 (6.0%) When I was 11 to 15 years old
230 (2.2%) After turning 16 years old
3. To the best of your knowledge, where were these relatives born?
| Outside U.S. | In U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| My mother | 6438 (61.9%) | 3958 (38.1%) |
| My father | 6319 (60.8%) | 4071 (39.2%) |
| My mother's mother | 6916 (67.1%) | 3395 (32.9%) |
| My father's mother | 6865 (66.7%) | 3433 (33.3%) |
| My mother's father | 6961 (67.5%) | 3346 (32.5%) |
| My father's father | 6824 (66.5%) | 3435 (33.5%) |
[If mother born outside U.S.] 4a. What is the highest level of education reached by your mother in a foreign country?
315 (4.9%) None (did not receive any education in a foreign country)
1221 (19.1%) Less than the equivalent of high school in the U.S.
1639 (25.7%) U.S. high school equivalent
499 (7.8%) Equivalent of a U.S. associate's or postsecondary certificate
1976 (31.0%) Equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's
58 (0.9%) Post-baccalaureate certificate
375 (5.9%) Equivalent of a U.S. master's
185 (2.9%) A professional degree
111 (1.7%) Equivalent of a U.S. doctorate
[If mother born outside U.S.] 4b. What is the highest level of education reached by your mother in the U.S.?
3203 (51.1%) None (did not receive any education in U.S.)
277 (4.4%) Less than high school
127 (2.0%) GED
302 (4.8%) High school degree
562 (9.0%) Associate's degree or postsecondary certificate
651 (10.4%) Bachelor's degree
126 (2.0%) Post-baccalaureate certificate (e.g., teaching certificate)
694 (11.1%) Master's
159 (2.5%) Professional degree
164 (2.6%) Doctorate
[If mother born in U.S.] 4. What is the highest level of education reached by your mother?
93 (2.4%) Less than high school
55 (1.4%) GED
770 (19.5%) High school degree
389 (9.9%) Associate's degree or postsecondary certificate
1120 (28.4%) Bachelor's degree
287 (7.3%) Post-baccalaureate certificate (e.g., teaching certificate)
799 (20.3%) Master's
242 (6.1%) Professional degree
186 (4.7%) Doctorate
[If father born outside U.S.] 5a. What is the highest level of education reached by your father in a foreign country?
343 (5.5%) None (did not receive any education in a foreign country)
1051 (17.0%) Less than the equivalent of high school in the U.S.
1409 (22.8%) U.S. high school equivalent
348 (5.6%) Equivalent of a U.S. associate's or postsecondary certificate
1928 (31.2%) Equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's
69 (1.1%) Post-baccalaureate certificate
518 (8.4%) Equivalent of a U.S. master's
265 (4.3%) A professional degree
258 (4.2%) Equivalent of a U.S. doctorate
[If father born outside U.S.] 5b. What is the highest level of education reached by your father in the U.S.?
2766 (45.2%) None (did not receive any education in U.S.)
222 (3.6%) Less than high school
100 (1.6%) GED
210 (3.4%) High school degree
365 (6.0%) Associate's degree or postsecondary certificate
548 (9.0%) Bachelor's degree
51 (0.8%) Post-baccalaureate certificate (e.g., teaching certificate)
976 (16.0%) Master's
267 (4.4%) Professional degree
609 (10.0%) Doctorate
[If father born in U.S.] 5. What is the highest level of education reached by your father?
95 (2.4%) Less than high school
47 (1.2%) GED
785 (19.5%) High school degree
258 (6.4%) Associate's degree or postsecondary certificate
1075 (26.7%) Bachelor's degree
101 (2.5%) Post-baccalaureate certificate (e.g., teaching certificate)
740 (18.4%) Master's
478 (11.9%) Professional degree
450 (11.2%) Doctorate
6. To the best of your knowledge, how many of your grandparents went to college?
2389 (23.3%) I don't know
3916 (38.1%) None
1238 (12.1%) One
1514 (14.7%) Two
612 (6.0%) Three
602 (5.9%) Four
7. Which of the following best describes your social class when you were growing up?
| 239 (2.3%) Wealthy | 1976 (19.0%) Working-class |
| 3253 (31.3%) Upper-middle or professional-middle | 1139 (11.0%) Low-income or poor |
| 3771 (36.3%) Middle-class |
8. To the best of your knowledge, which category includes the total annual combined income of your parent(s) before taxes in 2006?
| 460 (4.6%) Less than $10,000 | 897 (8.9%) $50,000 to $64,999 | 763 (7.6%) $125,000 to $149,999 |
| 613 (6.1%) $10,000 to $19,999 | 955 (9.5%) $65,000 to $79,999 | 833 (8.3%) $150,000 to $199,999 |
| 975 (9.7%) $20,000 to $34,999 | 1120 (11.1%) $80,000 to $99,999 | 1038 (10.3%) $200,000 or more |
| 936 (9.3%) $35,000 to $49,999 | 1488 (14.8%) $100,000 to $124,999 |
9. How confident are you of that income figure?
| 927 (9.1%) Not at all confident | 2021 (19.9%) Not very confident | 3533 (34.8%) Fairly confident | 1986 (19.6%) Confident | 1674 (16.5%) Certain |