The Ipsos facts on Boomers, parents and social media bans

A global survey of attitudes towards education challenges some stereotypes and discovers worldwide support for a ban on social media for children under 14.

The second annual ‘Education Monitor’ from multinational market research firm Ipsos found 65% of people – and majorities in 29 of 30 countries – support a ban on under-14s using social media inside and outside of school.

While that uniformity of opinion might be surprising, there were other more startling insights from the research.

Generations*

Baby Boomers, often supposed to be unsympathetic to the young, were “more likely than any other generation to say that growing up today is harder than when they were young”.

Over 62 per cent of Baby Boomers say this is the case, versus 57 per cent of Gen X, 48 per cent of Millennials and 47 per cent of Gen Z). 

Slightly more than half (57% on average globally) of Boomers think the overall quality of the education system in their country is now worse compared to when they were in school.

“Distance seems to make the heart grow fonder; the older one is, the more likely they are to think the education system is worse than it used to be, with only 29% of Gen Z thinking this, followed by 39% of Millennials and 50% of Gen X.”

Parents

Notably, the survey responses of parents with children in school about the state of education were more positive than those of the wider population.

“They are more likely to rate the quality of education as good, agree that schools embrace diversity and differences among learners, and to see advances in technology as a positive for future education,” Ipsos states.

The stereotype of the pushy parent was not backed up by Ipsos. Two in three (68% on average across 30 countries) parents with children currently in school said career guidance is primarily the responsibility of teachers and schools.

Social issues

Over half of parents (56 per cent) with kids in school “think the education system in their country contributes to reducing social inequalities, while an average of 39% say it doesn’t”.

A majority in all 30 countries agree it’s primarily the responsibility of teachers and schools to teach basic literacy and numeracy, but views on bullying, sex education and the teaching of religion varied widely across the world.

Technology

Just over one in three (36 per cent on average across 30 countries) Gen Z are in support of a ban on smartphones in schools, compared to 66 per cent of Boomers, followed by Gen X (58 per cent) and Millennials (53 per cent).

However, there was consensus on the dangers of social media, with the majority of Gen Z (61%), Millennials (68%), Gen X (66%) and Boomers (66%) agreeing “children under 14 should be banned from using social media both inside and outside of school”.

AI

Ipsos found 36 per cent of people polled across 30 countries wanting the use of AI (including ChatGPT) to be banned in schools. “At the same time there’s been a drop in people who don’t think it should be banned, down from 42% to 37% today. And just over one in four (27%) currently say they’re not sure if AI should be banned in schools or not.”

National disparities

The Monitor also discovered a disconnection between a nation’s perceived quality of education and its actual educational achievement, as measured by the international PISA framework. For example, 74 per cent of Singaporeans rated their education system is good, and it ranked #1 on PISA scores. But just 21 per cent of South Koreans rated their system as good, despite their country’s #3 PISA ranking.

Ipsos concluded, “The lack of correlation between PISA attainment scores and public perceptions of education in each country may also reflect the fact that Ipsos research shows parents judge schools on far more than just exam performance, with discipline, overall wellbeing and development often seen as equally or more important, especially for younger children”. 

Australian challenges and attitudes

In Australia, the biggest educational challenges were rated as a lack of public funding (29 per cent) and inadequate teacher training (28 per cent), with overcrowded classrooms and staff wellbeing both rating 25 per cent.

Australian support for a smartphone ban in schools was third highest in the world at 64 per cent, behind only Colombia (66 per cent) and France (75 per cent).

The French (80 per cent) were again the strongest supporters of a ban on children under 14 from using social media both inside and outside of school, with Australian support at (71 per cent), above the global average of 65 per cent.

Only 30 per cent of Australians surveyed believed teachers and schools should be primarily responsible for children developing social skills; the global average was 42 per cent, and only four countries ranked lower on this measure.

It was a similar story with who was responsible for encouraging a love of reading, with Australia’s 35 per cent in the lowest quarter.

Australians believe not enough space is devoted in their children’s curriculum for encouraging critical thinking; encouraging curiosity; developing creative skills; encouraging collaboration and focusing on student wellbeing. Our rankings in those categories were amongst the lowest in the world.

*Generation Z are people born between 1996- 2012, Millennials were born between 1980 and 1995, Generation X between 1966-1979, and Baby Boomers were born between 1945 and 1965).

LINK: Ipsos survey