New research explores perceptions of STEM across gender and socio-economic status
A series of new research briefings exploring the perceptions, understanding, and knowledge of STEM and engineering among young people, their parents and secondary school teachers, has been published by EngineeringUK.
The briefings, based predominantly on data gathered in the 2021 Engineering Brand Monitor (EBM) survey, also take a deep dive look at the impact of demographic factors on these perceptions.
One key finding of the harnessing the talent pool briefing was:
- Young people between the ages of 11 to 14 years had the greatest interest in engineering (55.3%), they were also the group that indicated they had the least knowledge (52.6%), compared with older young people.
Read the 'Harnessing the talent pool' briefing
One key finding of the gender disparity in early perceptions of engineering briefing was:
- Girls report less knowledge about engineering, less engagement with science and engineering activities, and are less likely to see themselves as engineers.
This report reinforces the need to tackle barriers into engineering for women from an early age.
Read the 'Gender disparity in early perceptions of engineering' briefing
One key finding of the impact of socio-economic background on early perceptions of engineering briefing was:
- 58% of young people from low education and income1 backgrounds indicated that one or both parents think science is very interesting, compared with 80% of young people from high education and income
Read the 'Impact of socio-economic background on early perceptions of engineering' briefing
