Poll: Iraq War Raises Government Service Chances

April 22, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Iraq war apparently peaked high school and college students' interest in government or military careers, according to an online survey.

A second online survey found that students still want to study overseas – but just not in Saudi Arabia or Japan, according to a news release about both polls.

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According to the survey by GradSchools.com, a database about schools and available courses of study, 35% of prospective grad students were tantalized by potential opportunities with defense contractors, the military services or government agencies. More than a third said those employment chances increased since the beginning of the Iraq conflict, according to the poll.

In the second survey, by www.StudyAbroad.com, 25% of the high school and college students responding said the war had impacted their choice of study-abroad destination. Australia and the United Kingdom were the most popular – English-speaking countries similar to the US – while Saudi Arabia and Japan were at the bottom of the destination list.

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Both surveys were conducted in March 2003. Over 1,300 students participated in the GradSchools.com survey while nearly 700 participated in the StudyAbroad.com poll.

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