Math = Teens’ Favorite School Subject
Math continues its reign this year as the top choice for U.S.
teens’ favorite subject in school. In a recent Gallup Youth
Survey*, nearly a quarter (23%) of 13- to 17-year-olds say math is
their favorite subject, essentially the same percentage who said so
last year. English/Literature places a distant second at 13% in the
2004 survey, statistically tied with science (12%). Other popular
subjects include history (7%), physical education (5%), and
industrial arts/shop (5%).
Girls, Boys Display Equal Enthusiasm Toward
Math
For decades, girls’ math and science scores have lagged behind
boys’, but recent studies and proficiency assessments indicate that
girls are gaining ground. Interestingly, approximately the same
percentages of girls and boys in the 2004 survey say math is their
favorite subject (24% of boys, 22% of girls), and 12% of both boys
and girls say science. However, girls are far more likely to name
English/literature as their favorite subject than boys are — 22%
vs. 5%. Boys are more likely than girls to say phys ed or
industrial arts/shop is their favorite subject.
In Their Own Words
Gallup also asked Youth Survey respondents to explain
why their favorite subject is their favorite. Responses
ranged widely, but the most common ones are simple — for example,
“it’s fun,” “it’s easy,” or “I understand it.” A 14-year-old girl
says, “Math is my favorite because I love to count. Math to me is
very easy to learn and understand.” One 15-year-old boy whose
favorite subject is English says simply, “I’m very good with the
English language.”
Other teens say that a good teacher makes all the difference in
making a subject their favorite. A 13-year-old girl who says
science is her favorite subject explains, “The teacher is very
interested in the subject and puts a lot of effort into teaching.”
Another math enthusiast comments, “I have a really good teacher who
makes it fun and he helps to explain problems to the students
individually and works with them until they understand.”
Many students who say math is their favorite subject like it
because there are clear right and wrong answers. One 17-year-old
boy says about math, “It has a definite answer in which you can
check yourself. English and other subjects can have multiple
answers and correct answers to various degrees.” Some students —
like this 16-year-old girl — name English as their favorite
subject for the same reason that other students dislike it: “It’s
my favorite because it allows for a lot more creativity than other
subjects such as math in which there is only one right answer.”
Other Responses
Unfortunately, some teens’ reasons why certain subjects are
their favorites have little to do with academics. One 16-year-old
boy says lunch is his favorite subject “because there’s food and
girls around to buy my food.” Another teen says, “I like study hall
and gym. In study hall, I can sleep and in gym, I get to play
games. Every other subject is useless info that I will never use.”
Responses such as these reflect the reality that some teens are
completely disengaged at school. In fact, 8% of teens say they do
not have any favorite subject at school.
*The Gallup Youth Survey is conducted via an Internet
methodology provided by Knowledge Networks, using an online
research panel that is designed to be representative of the entire
U.S. population. The current questionnaire was completed by 785
respondents, aged 13 to 17, between Jan. 22 and March 9, 2004. For
results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence
that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage
points.
*The Gallup Youth Survey is conducted via an Internet methodology provided by Knowledge Networks, using an online research panel that is designed to be representative of the entire U.S. population. The current questionnaire was completed by 785 respondents, aged 13 to 17, between Jan. 22 and March 9, 2004. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.
