Research On China's Higher Education Consumption

Higher education consumption has become one of the most attractive focuses in China's consumption market. Higher education products not only satisfy cultural demadnds, but also perform as strategic investment with a high requital. It is a deposit of human capital and a fortune symbol of future high income and social status. It concerns the immediate interests of every family and sustainable development. Nowadays, deepening the research on higher education consumption and promoting the awareness of higher education consumption in our society both theoretically and practically are the urgent demands of implmenting the strategy of invigorating the country through science and education and of upgrading people's quality and promoting cultural and ideological progress. In recent years, with the enlargement of higher education scale and the rise of tuition, higher education consumption has become the most important way of increasing domestic demand and stimulating national economy development. At the same time, the rapid increase of higher education consumption has great influence on people's life. It has become an important aspect of the household expenditure.On the basis of theoretical documents and realistic issues, this paper gives an objective analysis on China's higher education consumption structure, financial source and tuition proportion in accordance with its actual situation. Based on the statistical data obtained from actual investigation, the author makes a deep research on its present situation, exsting problems and affecting factors, both qualitatively and quantitatively, so as to provide a theoretical support for directing and promoting China's higher education consumption to develop healthily and rationally. It is expected to improve its present condition as a reference.Previous researches were usually done on the regional higher education consumption from the perspectives of either social or personal elements. However, harmonious and stable higher education should keep balance of social demands with personal demands. Otherwise, it means that the scale of higher education can not meet the demand of social economic development. This study tries to explore the balance between supply and demand in the market of higher education in China from the perspectives of the balance between social and personal demand.Starting from the analysis on the course of development and the current situation of China's higher education consumption, this paper makes a systematical research and exploration on the theoretical basis of higher education consumption from the perspectives of higher education market theory, public product theory, consumption behavior theory, human capital theory and cost sharing theory.Furthermore, it analyzes systematically on the whole situation of China's higher education consumption market, including its supply and demand relationship. It has revealed the present condition of supply and demand in higher education market and their relationship. It also makes an induction and comparison between the modes of the international higher education consumption market, which are divided into the US mode, England and Australia mode, Japan and Chile mode, and the other country's higher education mode. This study reveals that there exist a series of problems regarding supply and demand in Chian's higher education consumption market. Therefore this paper makes an analysis on equilibrium development of China's higher education consumption market.There are some differences in the course of development, consumption subject and consumption structure in higher education consumption both at home and abroad, including the financial source, the tuition percentage of the public and private universities, and the cost of studying abroad. Consequently, this study focuses on the comparison of the financial source and tuition percentage between China and other countries. Then it makes an empirical ananlysis on China's higher education consumption situation by means of questionnaire, investigation and statistical analysis.At present, there exist obvious irrational consumption behaviors in our higher education. This paper has made analysis of this phenomenon and revealed its root. In order to enhance the awareuess of rafional consumption, it puts forward a suggestion of expanding excellent education resource, fostering proper consumption concept, and gearing to the market. Strating from the important factors influencing sustainable higher education consumption including family income expectation, personal consuming capacity and expected earning of higher education, this paper probes into the favorable and unfavorable consumption environment of China's higher education and points out the orientation of sustainable development of higher education consumption in China.Finally it puts forward a rationalized proposal to improve China's education consumption situation by means of exploring new model of running a school, expanding supply capacity, improving income distribution, raising consumption standard, improving the insurance system of giving financial aid to students; deepening economic reconstruction, guiding consumption behavior, and ensuring a proper leading consumption in higher education.