Attitudes towards higher education : A qualitative study on attitudes towards highereducation

A new development has evolved in Sweden where is more common that individuals chose to study higher educations at universities and colleges. At the same time, society has evolved to become increasingly characterized by individualization and acceleration. This study aims to illustrate different attitudes towards higher education among individuals who either wish or do not wish to study. The study has a sociological approach, and the basis for analysis is, above all, theories of individualization. The study shows that common attitudes towards higher education exist among both individuals who either wish or do not wish to study. The effects of individualization have contributed to an increasing pressure around the idea that the individual should educate himself rather than if he wants it (Rosa, 2013). At the same time there is an idea that education should be planned within a specific age to be able to live a desirable and stable life after 30 years old. Individuals are socialized through school into an idea of making themselves employable and learning to think and act in a certain competitive spirit. Many also argue that higher education will automatically result in a safer future and above all with more choices in life