As part of the 2012 NAEP economics assessment, twelfth-graders were asked a series of questions about how often they seek information about economics issues. The full text of the series of questions is below.
Not including things you do for school, how often do you watch, read about, or listen to information on the following topics?
A. The local economy (unemployment in your area, job opportunities, prices of goods and services, taxes, public budgets, etc.)
B. The U.S. economy (unemployment, inflation, economic growth, national economic policy, interest rates, the stock market, etc.)
C. The international economy (the state of economies in other countries, trade agreements and restrictions, globalization, etc.)
D. Personal finance (saving, investment, taxes, credit cards, etc.)
For each question, students could select from the following options.
A. Never or hardly ever
B. A few times a year
C. Once or twice a month
D. At least once a week
The percentage of students who responded in each category are shown in the tabs below.
Local EconomyU.S. EconomyInternational EconomyPersonal Finance
Twenty-nine percent of twelfth-graders in the nation reported engaging with information about their local economy at least weekly in 2012, which is higher than the percentage in 2006. Click chart options below the chart to explore average scores or make comparisons of your choice.
Thirty-two percent of twelfth-graders in the nation reported engaging with information about the U.S. economy at least weekly, which is higher than the percentage in 2006. Click chart options below the chart to explore average scores or make comparisons of your choice.
Eighteen percent of twelfth-graders in the nation reported engaging with information about the international economy at least weekly in 2012, which is higher than the percentage in 2006. Click chart options below the chart to explore average scores or make comparisons of your choice.
Thirty percent of twelfth-graders in the nation reported engaging with information about personal finance at least weekly in 2012, which is not significantly different from the percentage in 2006. Click chart options below the chart to explore average scores or make comparisons of your choice.