Innovative research using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey data has found that people who attended Catholic schools are likely to see lifelong benefits in employment status, general health and life satisfaction.
The research found that on average, there are both personal and community benefits of Catholic schooling. People who attended Catholic schools are on average more likely to be employed, and to earn higher wages, than government school attendees. The average wage difference ranges between four per cent to 11 per cent. In addition, Catholic school attendees are more likely to work in an industry or sector that directly benefits the public and were more likely to donate to charity. The report also found that Catholic school attendance had a positive average impact on personal health and life satisfaction scores. These findings were statistically significant and include adjustments to the data to isolate the impact of attendance at a Catholic school from other individual and family characteristics and influences.
What did the research find?
Professor Elizabeth Labone, CEO of Victorian Catholic Education Authority - VCEA, says: “This research quantifies what we’ve always known—Catholic schools prepare students for life.”
