2023 College Major Satisfaction Survey

Used in 2 entries

For each citing entry, the verbatim excerpt and Likelier's calculation notes (how the source's number was converted to the lifetime-probability framing) are shown below. Click through to read the full claim ledger.

1. [1] Drop out vs. finish degree Decision · inaction side

   Statistic

   44% of US adults regret their college major; regret highest among education (53%), business (49%) and humanities/social-sciences (48%) majors

   “"Over 4 in 10 (44%) of U.S. adults regret their college major." "Education majors (53%) were the most likely to wish they studied something else," with business and humanities & social sciences "close behind, at 49% and 48% respectively." "The most common reason U.S. adults regret their major is interest in another subject (56%)."”

   Calculation notes

   Dreambound 2023 College Major Satisfaction Survey of US adults. The 44% headline figure is about major regret specifically, making it an upper bound on inaction regret. The prior excerpt claimed regret was highest "in liberal arts and humanities fields"; the source actually ranks education (53%) and business (49%) above humanities/social sciences (48%), with the most common reason being interest in another subject (56%). We use the Gallup 52% bachelor's-holder figure as the headline inaction-regret rate because it comes from the larger, same-instrument sample and measures overall education regret rather than the major-only subset.
   

   Source date: 2023-01-01 · Accessed: 2026-06-30

2. [2] Student debt vs. cheaper path Decision · action side

   Statistic

   44% of US adults regret their college major (49% of bachelor's-degree holders)

   “"Over 4 in 10 (44%) of U.S. adults regret their college major. While 23 percent cite a lack of job opportunities and 21 percent report low pay as the source of their misgivings, 56 percent simply wish they'd studied subjects that actually interested them. 49% of those with a Bachelor's Degree regret what they studied in college."”

   Calculation notes

   Dreambound 2023 survey of over 1,000 US adults (surveyed October 2023 via the Prolific platform); 44% of all respondents and 49% of bachelor's-degree holders regret their college major. This measures major-selection regret, which is a PROXY — not a direct measure — for regret about the debt-laden degree path. A person can regret their major while still valuing the degree credential and the debt taken on for it, so this figure likely overstates regret about the debt itself. The survey's own top reason for regret is a mismatch of interest (56%), not finances (lack of jobs 23%, low pay 21%).
   

   Source date: 2023-10-01 · Accessed: 2026-05-13