college students
DESCRIPTION
Market research on College students.TRANSCRIPT
TOMMY CONFARCollege Students
STUDENT POPULATION
2011-2012 collegiate population ages 18-to-34 numbers approximately 16 million Economic times have brought more adults to
institutions of higher education to allow them to be prepared for career adjustments
62% of college students are age 24 or under,
22% of college students are under the age of 20
LIVING
52.9% of college students live at home
24.7% of college students live off-campus
18.1% of college students live in a dormitory
3.8% of college students live in a fraternity or sorority house
STUDY ABROAD AND FOREIGN 260,000 U.S. students study
abroad There are approximately
690,000 foreign exchange students in the U.S. This adds about 20 billion
dollars into our economy
SPENDING
College students ages 18-to-34 spent $306 billion during the 2010-2011 academic year That is a 13% increase from the prior year
Of that $306 billion, $69 billion was discretionary spending $37.7 billion for students ages 18-to-24
SPENDING
Male students ages 18-to-34 spend more for entertainment and technology on a monthly basis
Female students ages 18-to-34 spend slightly more on clothing and shoes, cosmetics, and cell-phone purchases
Male students spend slightly more than females on personal care products
Spending for entertainment, eating out, bars and nightclubs remained steady or increased from 2010
SPENDING
2011 back-to-college spending (excluding textbooks) estimated at $34.4 billion
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT
Not followed a continuous education path into college
Over 24 years of age Working full time Having dependents to support Attend college part time 73% of all students have some
characteristics of the non-traditional student
They have different desires and needs from their traditional counterparts on campus
Non-traditional students are growing in population
Disadvantaged to traditional students
STRESS Anxiety, uncertainty, and stress are included in any students
career
Stress emerged as an important variable with relationships to
grade point average (GPA) and intent to persist along with
goal commitment
Unlike traditional students, non-traditional students have
responsibilities related to their work and personal lives that
may lead to demand overload and role conflict when merged
with school.
These additional demands and responsibilities can create
time limitations that traditional students are not apt to
experience
Combining a degree with employment can have negative
consequences with students missing classes, doing less
reading, and experiencing higher levels of stress
Students with families tend to have higher stress levels
These students with more time management behaviors
considered themselves to be more effective at work, had
higher levels of moral and lower levels of stress (usually a
traditional student)
Traditional students, because they are less mature,
experience stress from academic and social concerns
STRESS
DRINKING
Binge drinking is the consumption of five or more alcoholic beverages at one sitting by men and four or more drinks at a single sitting by women
In studying student drinking, it has been found that the root causes of excessive drinking revolve around depression, anxiety, peer pressure, and the desire for social acceptance
40% of college students engage in high-risk drinking
ONLINE/DEVICES
Staying “connected” and easily reachable is important for college students
ONLINE
77.6% of college students use social networking sites
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.. 18% of students who go online have a
Twitter Around 85% of all college students have
a Facebook account
MOST VISITED SITES BY STUDENTS
T.V.
College student favorites include “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office”
T.V. shows and stations are trying to be relevant and popular on social media platforms
The youth is a target consumer who might tweet about a show they just watched or post a clip from a show they liked on their Facebook
This gains exposure for the T.V. station and show
MISC. TRENDS
E book readers Small percentage but growing Mainly used for recreational and class readings The kindle is the top in its market
Voting percentages in youth has dropped to 11% in the 2010 midterm elections, from 18% in 2008’s election
Democrats are down to 57% from the previous 66% in 2008
College student decline in politics is because the student body feels the “change” promised in 2008 never happened
Smaller schools that focus more on teaching than relying on research outside of the class
Student satisfaction surveys show more students are happy with more time spent in class and with the teacher. Out of class research intensive schools did not show high results in student satisfaction.
Students that live on campus or in on campus housing are more satisfied with their college experience than those who commute or live off campus.
This relates to being closer to classmates and making more connections with other students and faculty
TRENDS OVER THE LAST 15 YRS What students valued 15 years ago are the same things they value
currently. The items of greatest importance to students continue to reflect an emphasis on the students’ academic experience.
Satisfaction levels have risen overall at four-year privates, four-year publics, and community colleges, but have fluctuated at career schools. Despite the changes to higher education, socioeconomic shifts in students, and the media’s focus on higher tuition, students generally indicate that they are more satisfied now than they were in the past.
Financial aid has increased in importance in the enrollment decisions for students at four-year privates, four-year publics, and community colleges; school appearance and geographic setting have become more important for students attending career schools. Students today put a greater emphasis on financial aid awards as they decide which institution to attend. This has been a common trend at four-year private institutions, but financial aid has also seen a large jump in importance at four-year and two-year public schools. While financial aid is also a factor for career schools, the biggest shifts have occurred in the emphasis on the school appearance and the location of the college.
While students are generally more satisfied now in all of these areas (tuition as a worthwhile investment, their attitudes toward billing policies, and their perceptions about the availability of and resources for financial aid services), the improvements vary by institution type. In addition, the satisfaction scores are currently hovering at or below 50 percent of students indicating that they are actually satisfied with their institution’s performance, which indicates that there is still room for improvement in this area.
The importance and satisfaction shifts in campus climate items. A 2009 study, Linking Student Satisfaction and Retention, indicated a strong correlation between campus climate items and students’ overall satisfaction and likelihood to be retained. These areas include how students feel on campus, campus staff being caring, the sense of campus “run-around,” and feeling safe and secure on campus. As institutions focused more on quality service initiatives during the past 15 years, some of these items had some of the largest improvements in satisfaction across all types of institutions.
WHY?
One should market to college students because
College students use social media to talk about brands and services they enjoy. (online word-of-mouth)
The students that don’t live with their parents are begging to shop on their own. They can be branded for life with a product they begin to like.
There are 16 million college students in America. (big market)
College students have high spending habits. (back to school buying, food purchases, drinking purchases, electronic purchases, etc)
College students are current and knowledgeable about upcoming trends and using the latest technology.