SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT,
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH,
& TEEN FERTILITY

SD 1.1

LIFE GOALS: THE PERCENTAGE OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO RATED SELECTED PERSONAL AND SOCIAL GOALS AS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

The personal and social life goals of high school students reflect their priorities for the future and provide insights into the positive and negative influences in their lives as they make the transition to adulthood. The percentages of high school seniors who rated selected personal and social life goals as extremely important for 1976 through 1995 are presented in Table SD 1.1. Personal goals include being successful at work, having a good marriage and family life, and having lots of money. Social goals include making a contribution to society, working to correct social and economic inequalities, and being a leader in the community.

From 1976 through 1995, high school seniors have been fairly consistent in the relative importance they assign to various life goals. Specifically:

• Having a Good Marriage and Family Life and Being Successful in My Line of Work have been cited most often by high school seniors as being extremely important. By 1995, four out of five high school seniors felt it extremely important to have a good marriage and family life (see Figure SD 1.1.A).
• Having Lots of Money and Making a Contribution to Society were the next most likely goals to be considered extremely important by high school seniors. The percentage of seniors who find these goals important is considerably lower, hovering between 20 and 30 percent in recent years (see Figures SD 1.1.A. and SD 1.1.B).
• Working to Correct Social and Economic Inequalities and Being a Leader in the Community are important goals for only small percentages of high school seniors — 10 percent and 12 percent, respectively, in 1995 (see Figure SD 1.1.B).

Differences by Race. In 1995, black students were more likely than whites to view as extremely important issues such as being successful at work (72 percent versus 59 percent), having lots of money (41 percent versus 21 percent), and correcting social and economic inequalities (18 percent versus 8 percent). The two groups appeared equally likely to attach extreme importance to having a good marriage and family life, a rate that has hovered around 75 percent for both races over time.

Differences by Gender. Across the six goals, rates vary little between male students and female students with two exceptions. In 1995, females were more likely to indicate that having a good marriage and family life was extremely important (83 percent versus 73 percent), and were less likely to report that having lots of money was an extremely important goal (19 percent versus 30 percent).
 

Figure SD 1.1.A   Percentage of High School Seniors Who Rate Selected Personal Goals as Being “Extremely Important,” 1995

Source: Bachman, J.G., Johnston, L.D., and O’Malley, P.M. “Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire responses from the Nation’s High School Seniors, 1995.” Questionnaire form 1 numbers, A007A, A007B, A007C. Data based on one of six questionnaire forms with a resulting sample size one-sixth of the total sample size for each year.
 
 

Figure SD 1.1.B   Percentage of High School Seniors Who Rate Selected Social Goals as Being “Extremely Important,” 1995

Source: Bachman, J.G., Johnston, L.D., and O’Malley, P.M. “Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire responses from the Nation’s High School Seniors, 1995.” Questionnaire form 1 numbers, A007G, A007H, A007L. Data based on one of six questionnaire forms with a resulting sample size one-sixth of the total sample size for each year.
 
 

Table SD 1.1   Percentage of High School Seniors Who Rate Selected Life Goals as Being "Extremely Important," 1976-1995
						1976	1981	1986	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
						———	———	———	———	———	———	———	———
Personal Goals
Being Successful in My Line of Work
Total						53	57	61	62	66	65	63	62
	Gender
		Male				53	58	62	60	63	63	61	62
		Female				52	57	60	64	69	67	66	62
	Race
		White				50	55	58	59	65	62	60	59
		Black				67	71	73	75	80	74	79	72
Having a Good Marriage and Family Life
Total						73	76	75	76	78	79	76	78
	Gender
		Male				66	71	69	71	72	74	70	73
		Female				80	82	82	83	84	85	81	83
	Race
		White				72	77	76	76	79	79	76	78
		Black				75	73	76	78	75	76	72	76
Having Lots of Money
Total						15	18	27	28	29	26	26	25
	Gender
		Male				20	24	34	37	35	32	32	30
		Female				11	13	18	19	22	18	19	19
	Race
		White				12	15	24	25	24	20	22	21
		Black				33	32	38	39	46	45	47	41

 
 

Table SD 1.1 Continued  Percentage of High School Seniors Who Rate Selected Life Goals as Being "Extremely Important," 1976-1995
						1976	1981	1986	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
						———	———	———	———	———	———	———	———
Social Goals
Making a Contribution to Society
Total						18	18	17	21	22	24	24	20
	Gender
		Male				16	19	18	20	22	25	23	19
		Female				20	17	16	22	23	25	25	21
	Race
				White		18	18	16	20	22	24	23	19
				Black		23	21	20	27	27	25	29	25
Working to Correct Social and Economic Inequalities
Total						10	10	9	12	15	15	14	10
	Gender
		Male				8	9	7	11	14	14	12	9
		Female				13	10	11	13	17	16	16	10
	Race
		White				8	7	7	10	13	12	11	8
		Black				20	21	19	21	26	21	25	18
Being a Leader in My Community
Total						7	8	9	11	13	13	14	12
	Gender
		Male				8	8	11	12	14	17	14	14
		Female				6	7	6	10	11	10	13	10
	Race
		White				6	7	8	9	11	12	12	10
		Black				14	14	12	17	21	19	21	22
Source: Bachman, J. G., Johnston, L. D. & O’ Malley, P. M. "Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire Responses from the Nations’ High School Seniors" 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Questionnaire Form 1 numbers. A007A, A007B, A007C, A007G, A007H, A007L. Data based on one of six questionnaire forms with a resulting sample size one-sixth of the total sample size for each year.