Limited job opportunities are dampening enthusiasm for studying in America
A lack of career opportunities was the most common reason Chinese adults cited for not recommending the United States as a destination for overseas study. The difficulty of obtaining a U.S. work visa after graduation, along with restrictive visa policies in the last few years aimed specifically at Chinese nationals, have likely diminished the appeal of U.S. study, undercutting some of the soft power benefits of an American education. A more open employment environment for fresh graduates would benefit universities around the world, and especially those in the United States, but the current political climate makes this unlikely.
More broadly, a lack of career opportunities was the primary reason respondents cited for not recommending overseas study in a given country. Employment concerns are likely top of mind given the record unemployment among young Chinese, as students consider a costly investment in foreign education as a potential route out of the employment morass in their home country. To this end, Canada was the English-speaking country where respondents were least likely to cite limited career opportunities as a strike against, speaking to the comparative advantage of Canada’s more open employment landscape and its concerted push to attract foreign talent.
Safety concerns loom large for those recommending against U.S. study, while cost and immigration hopes are minor deterrents
Distance from China was the next most common reason for recommending against U.S. study (18%), followed by safety and security concerns at 15%. Notably, the United States was the country for which respondents were most likely to cite safety and security as a reason to study elsewhere. Chinese studies have noted that safety concerns — and particularly fears of gun violence — are a major reason the United States has begun to lose its once-unparalleled appeal as the top destination for Chinese students. Against this backdrop, universities should do more to promote the safety of their campuses and communities to prospective Chinese students.
At the same time, immigration ranked last on the list of Chinese respondents’ concerns, just below tuition and expenses. Despite the high costs associated with U.S. higher education, just 5% of respondents said their recommendation against studying in America was driven by cost concerns. Such worries may become more pressing, however, as China’s economic recovery continues to stall.
The impact of politics on Chinese overseas study in the United States
While university administrators may fret about the dour state of U.S.-China relations dulling Chinese students’ desire to study abroad and impacting tuition payments, they can take heart that a plurality of Chinese adults do not see geopolitics as reason to sever educational ties: 40% believe Chinese students should still study abroad in the United States even when relations are poor, compared with just a third who said the opposite.
Those with any previous study abroad experience or connections are even more likely to agree that politics should not get in the way of a foreign education, with 50% of those who studied abroad anywhere, or with friends or family who did so, in agreement. Shares rise to 59% among those who previously studied in the United States, or whose friends or family did so. This speaks to the extent to which foreign study could soften political views or ideological intransigence, creating the opportunity for meaningful cultural and educational encounters that will likely make people more open in the future — though some of this finding may also be a function of self-selection.
Returning students can help improve Sino-American ties
To this end, 17% of Chinese adults believe students returning from study in the United States can help improve U.S.-China relations “a lot,” while a majority (55%) believe such students can help improve relations at least a little. This figure rises to 59% among those who studied overseas anywhere, or who have friends or family who did so, and exceeds two-thirds among those who studied in the United States specifically, or whose family or friends did so (69%).
Conversely, only 9% of Chinese adults think that studying in the United States could hurt U.S.-China relations. Although this figure rises to 11% among those with direct or indirect overseas study experience anywhere, it falls to just 5% among those who’ve studied in the United States specifically, or whose friends or family have.
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