Why Do Immigrants Prefer Academic Education? Factorial Survey Experiment on Students in the Canton of Vaud

Countries like Switzerland, that base a large part of their education system on dual vocational training (part-time in-company training) have demonstrated their ability to maintain a relatively low youth unemployment rate [OECD 2022] and to offer attractive career prospects to people who take these vocational courses [BFS, 2020]. This effectiveness, combined with a long tradition of in-company training, makes vocational training attractive to a wide range of people. However, recent literature shows that even in Germany and Switzerland, two countries where vocational training is very well established, people from immigrant backgrounds tend to show a stronger preference for academic education to the detriment of vocational training. The literature has put forward three main explanations for this specificity. Firstly, immigrants are said to be more optimistic and to aspire to greater social success at a given socio-economic status [Kao and Tienda, 1995]. Secondly, people with an immigrant background express a preference for general and intellectual knowledge rather than specific and manual knowledge. This may be due, on the one hand, to the desire to avoid the difficult professional experiences of their parents [Hill and Torres, 2010] and, on the other, to the greater difficulty young immigrants have in defining a clear career plan [Abrassart et al 2017, Teney and al, 2013]. Finally, obtaining prestigious diplomas, often awarded by universities, is perceived as a shield against potential discrimination on the labour market [Tjaden and Hunkler 2017]. To study the existence of such mechanisms in a context favourable to vocational training such as Switzerland and to see whether they appear differently according to the profile (gender, social class, field of studies) of the students, a survey consisting of vignettes is used. Respondents are offered two experiments. Each asks them to evaluate fictitious profiles. The first looks at how a profile is perceived in terms of social achievement. The second asks them to assess the likelihood of a profile being discriminated against on the labour market. This method will make it possible to understand the career aspirations and concerns of respondents. The survey is addressed to all the students participating in bachelor curricula in Universities and Universities of applied sciences in the Swiss canton of Vaud.