Most U.S. adults believe states should require financial education courses for high school students, according to a new survey.

Eighty-eight percent of adults surveyed by the National Financial Education Fund (NEFE) and AmeriSpeak said their state should mandate either a one-semester or one-year course, and another 80% say they don’t attend school. People over 45 were most likely to say their state should mandate the course.

Nearly three-quarters say spending and budgeting are the most important topics in their financial education curriculum. Fifteen states already require or are considering financial courses before graduation.

“Some states already require students to take financial education courses, and others are in the process of implementing this curriculum,” NEFE President and CEO Billy Hensley said in a media release. said to

“In fact, 80% of American adults wish they had to take a semester or year of financial education classes in high school,” Hensley added. “This poll reinforces national support for personal finance becoming part of learning in all schools.”

Men and women were similarly likely to support state financial education course requirements, but there were differences among respondents with varying educational experience. , compared to 71% of respondents without a high school diploma.

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“There is enormous demand, and financial education continues to validate that it lays a solid foundation for how students will manage their money as adults,” Hensley continued. It will play a role not only in school-based education, but also in efforts to build and regulate a financial system that provides a level playing field for all.”

The survey measured responses from 1,030 randomly sampled U.S. adults between March 17 and 21, 2022.

A NextGen Personal Finance report released in June found that nearly 23% of those graduating in 2022 have taken a standalone personal finance course.