The Cultural Disillusionment Of School Massification In France From 1981 To 2003

The massification of secondary education is one of the current changes in Western societies most abundantly analysed. In France, whereas just under a quarter of each generation reached Baccalaureate level as at the start of the 1980s, nearly two-thirds did by the end of the 1990s. While the economic consequences of this stunning increase, which occurred primarily between 1985 and 1995, have attracted particular attention, the effects go beyond the labour market. To wit, they contribute more broadly to a revolution in mores, lifestyles, consumer habits, moral and political attitudes, behaviours in the field of health and cultural practices. Specifically, it is generally expected that longer-term education will be conducive to greater familiarity with highbrow culture and rejection of popular culture. Yet, on these points, the cultural impact of school massification appears relatively uncertain. In this article, we consider the cultural effects of extension to the duration of secondary and higher education, based on data from surveys of cultural practices conducted by the French Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Research.