Built from public survey data: the GSS, ANES, CES, the Census Bureau’s CPS supplements and Household Pulse Survey, the Federal Reserve’s SHED, the New York Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations, and Pew Research Center. Estimates computed here are weighted; see each source page for methods and citations. Survey of Consumer Expectations data: © 2013–2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which disclaims responsibility for this analysis.
What was your major or field of study when you received your (RESPONDENT'S COLLEGE DEGREE) degree?
As of 2024, MAJOR2 has been recoded to only account for 39 categories. This has been retroactively applied to all previous years of MAJOR2. The original MAJOR2 containing data from 2012 to 2022 has been renamed MAJOR2_1222.
Full wording What was your second major or field of study for your college degree? College major, second mention (detailed categories) · Asked in 5 waves, 2012–2022 · 1,289 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
All other answers (70) 73%
Health 3%
Mathematics 2%
English 5%
Education 7%
Computer science 2%
Business administration 9%
Shares in 2022
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2022).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
By group over time White Black Other races
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2022).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Groups with an effective sample under 50 in a wave are left out of that wave.
Wave 2022 (mixed) 2018 (face to face) 2016 (face to face) 2014 (face to face) 2012 (face to face)
Answers as the source codes them Accounting/bookkeeping Advertising Agriculture/horticulture Allied health Anthropology Architecture Art Biology Business administration Chemistry Communications/speech Comm. disorders Computer science Dentistry Education Economics Engineering English Finance Foreign language Forestry Geography Geology History Home economics Industry & technology Journalism Law Law enforcement Library science Marketing Mathematics Medicine Music Nursing Optometry Pharmacy Philosophy Physical education Physics Psychology Political science/international relations Sociology Special education Theater arts Theology Veterinary medicine Liberal arts Other General sciences Social work General studies
Group Accounting/bookkeeping Advertising Agriculture/horticulture Anthropology Architecture Art Biology Business administration Chemistry Communications/speech Comm. disorders Computer science Dentistry Education Economics Engineering English Finance Foreign language Forestry Geography Geology History Home economics Industry & technology Journalism Law Law enforcement Library science Marketing Mathematics Medicine Music Nursing Optometry Pharmacy Philosophy Physical education Physics Psychology Political science/international relations Sociology Special education Theater arts Theology Liberal arts Other General sciences Social work General studies Other vocational Health Child/human/family development Food science/nutrition/culinary arts Environmental science/ecology Social sciences Human services/human resources Visual arts/graphic design/design and drafting Fine arts Humanities Ethnic studies Educational administration Television/film Aviation/aeronatics Statistics/biostatistics Criminology/criminal justice Administrative science/public administration Urban and regional planning Mechanics/machine trade Dance Gerontology Public relations Textiles/cloth Parks and recreation Information technology Counseling n MoE All respondents
General Social Survey 2022 · US adults 18+ living in households (English, and Spanish since 2006). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.
Other vocational
Health
Industrial relations
Child/human/family development
Food science/nutrition/culinary arts
Environmental science/ecology
Social sciences
Human services/human resources
Visual arts/graphic design/design and drafting
Fine arts
Humanities
Ethnic studies
Educational administration
Television/film
Aviation/aeronatics
Statistics/biostatistics
Criminology/criminal justice
Administrative science/public administration
Electronics
Urban and regional planning
Mechanics/machine trade
Dance
Gerontology
Public relations
Textiles/cloth
Parks and recreation
Information technology
Fashion
Counseling
Don't know (non-answer)
No answer (non-answer)
Skipped on web (non-answer)
White
3% 0% 1% 1% 0% 4% 2% 8% 2% 4% – 1% 0% 7% 3% 1% 6% 3% 2% 1% – 0% 2% 0% 3% 0% 1% – 0% 2% 2% 1% 1% 2% – 0% 0% 1% 0% 4% 3% 1% 2% 0% 0% 1% 3% 1% 0% 0% 0% 3% 1% 0% 0% 1% 3% 2% – – 1% – 1% 2% 0% 1% 1% – – – 0% 0% – – 1% 1% 452 ±7
Black †
9% – – – – 3% 2% 16% – 3% – – – 8% – – – 5% – – – – – – 5% – – – – 1% – 2% – 4% – – – 3% – 1% 3% 3% 0% – 4% 1% 8% 1% 1% – – 3% 2% – – – 4% – – – 4% – – – – 4% – – – – – 1% – – – 1% 84 ±15
Other races †
3% – – – – 0% 4% 6% 1% – – 9% – 4% 1% 3% – 6% 5% – – – 9% – – – – – – – 4% – – – – – – – – – 5% – – – 2% – – 10% – – 4% 11% 1% – – – – 2% – – 10% – – – – – 1% – – – – – – – – – 53 ±20