Higher education and acquired skills favor access to employment, but also health, subjective well-being and civic behavior, as can be seen from the monograph ‘From studies to skills: Determinants and results of human capital in Spain’, prepared by the BBVA Foundation and the Ivie.
The work, prepared by a multidisciplinary team of economists and psychologists led by researchers from the Ivie José Maria Peiró and Lorenzo Serrano, introduces into the analysis not only the formal training obtained, but also essential skills; behavioral cognitive and social nature; global; and digital skills.
To do this, both the skills of students around 15 years of age (latest data available from PISA 2018) and the skills of the adult population (through the International Program for the Assessment of Adult Competencies, PIAAC, for its acronym in English). The skills show a positive relationship with the level of studies, that is, the higher level of studies is reached, the more skills are acquired.
According to the available data, the educational level attained does not only favor the economic situation and employment of people, it also affects other aspects such as health and healthy lifestyle habits.
Similarly, only 12.8 percent of employed persons with higher education suffer from chronic health problems, four points less than workers with primary studies. In addition, 93.1 percent of the former consider that their state of health is good or very good, compared to 84.7 percent of those who have a maximum of primary education.
Having university studies is one of the determinants that positively affects weekly physical activitycompared to a sedentary life, since people with these studies are 14.1 percentage points more likely to exercise several times a week than those who only have primary education.
It also affects the daily consumption of healthy products (fruit and vegetables), with 13 percentage points more probability in the case of people with university studies, and the lower consumption of tobacco (individuals with this higher degree have a probability of smoking 9.3 percentage points lower than those with studies only up to primary school).
Also, the monograph also shows that having higher education contributes to alleviating the negative effects on health in unfavorable situations such as COVID-19. And it is that, people with a university degree have better resisted the incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, since they showed a lower incidence in 11 of the 14 psychosomatic symptoms analyzed.
The skills acquired are also related to people’s health. Specifically, reading comprehension and willingness to learn are associated with a greater perception of enjoying excellent health among adults. Likewise, young people who feel competent in reading and who see themselves as able to examine local, global, and intercultural issues, and to understand and appreciate the perspectives of others, also indicate to a greater extent that they are in excellent health.
Young people who develop their skills to obtain information about employment and future studies, thanks to the initiatives of their educational centers, indicate to a greater extent who are in excellent health. It also highlights a negative effect on the competence related to the use of ICT among young people when it is oriented towards fun (video games) since it increases health problems in nine symptoms measured by PISA (headache, stomach ache, pain back, etc.). However, its use for academic purposes does not have these negative effects.
more satisfied with their life
On the other hand, the work has shown that people with higher education are more satisfied with their lives. Specifically, they are 19.1 percentage points more likely to report high satisfaction with life than those with only primary education.
Being busy is another of the aspects that most influences a high satisfaction with life, although the gaps between unemployed and employed are reduced significantly. sensitive when the person unemployed He has a certain level of education. About 70 percent of people who combine being employed with higher education express high satisfaction with their lives, compared to 45.6 percent of those employed with primary education.
In addition, the educated person has also been more resilient, in terms of emotional well-being, during the pandemic. Regarding the relationship between acquired skills and personal well-being, the study highlights that young people who score high in mathematics skills are more likely to express satisfaction with life (obtaining 100 points more in PISA in the mathematics test means 4 points more likely to report high satisfaction with life).
Young people who feel competent when it comes to understanding and taking an interest in the world around them, which is known as global competence (understanding and appreciate the perspectives of others; take an interest in intercultural communication; and undertake actions for the common good and sustainable development), they tend to be more satisfied with their lives, experience more positive emotions and show greater interest in their personal development linked to learning at school.