The Effects of Cultural Capital on Educational Aspirations among Adolescents in Macau

Using a random-stratified sample of 1,030 students collected from fourteen middle schools in Macau in 2009, we examine the effect of cultural capital on students' educational aspirations in Macau, whose economy is dominated by the gambling industry. We find that cultural capital acquired during childhood in the form of participation in one-time cultural events and students' television viewing habits exert positive effects on students' educational aspirations, and the returns to cultural capital depend on the gender and social status of its possessors. Our findings lend some support to the cultural mobility hypothesis.