The Changes of Factors Affecting the Demand for Higher Education from 2000 to 2010: Evidence from the Population and Housing Census in Thailand

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study the changes of factors affecting provincial disparities regarding the demand for higher education in Thailand using quantitative analysis. In this research, the model was estimated with cross-sectional data from the Population and Housing Censusin 2000 and 2010 considering a wide range of economic, social and educational independent variables. The result shows that, firstly, the average monthly household income positively affects the demand for higher education for both 2000 and 2010. Secondly, the educational facilities factors such as university proximity (university access) are positive significant association with the number of university students per 10,000. Thirdly, the influence of parent educational background has a positive effect the demand for higher education in 2000 but not in 2010.Therefore, it could be explained that, in 2010, other factors might have a higher impact on the level of educational demand compared to parent educational background. Finally, we derive some conclusions about determinants of the demand for higher education in Thailand, and propose some remarks for future research.