Graduation Date
5-2018
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Psychology
Director of the Honors Program
Gigi Gokcek, PhD
First Reader
Veronica Fruiht, PhD
Second Reader
Afshin Gharib, PhD
Abstract
In the literature of capitalism, there are many studies concerning the effect of capitalism on stress (Kasser, 1993; Olson, 2006; Thompson, 2013). There are also many studies regarding how capitalism affects college students (Macdougal, 2014; Ritchie, 2001). The present study investigates how students graduating from college feel about our current economic system. It looks for a correlation between perceptions of capitalism, socioeconomic status, and perceived job prospects. The present study had approximately 12 participants, all in college, most were white and of higher socioeconomic status. Results show that those with higher perceptions of employability also had higher economic locus of control, meaning that if someone feels that they can get a job, they also feel in control of their financial situation. This could be due to the constantly changing state of college student’s socioeconomic status. Future research should continue to investigate in which situations college students feel desire to change the economic market.
COinS