University Students’ Perceptions of Society and Job Offer Acquisition：

A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between university students’ perceptions of “society” and their job-hunting outcomes, using longitudinal data collected at two time points. Non-metric multidimensional scaling, co-occurrence network analysis, and chi-square tests were conducted on data from the first survey（1,769 participants）conducted in November-December 2022 and the second survey（408 participants）conducted in May-June 2023. The results showed that students who perceived society more positively tended to have higher job offer acquisition rates, and differences in expression characteristics were confirmed according to gender and job offer status. While previous research left unclear whether “positive perceptions of society led to regular employment and job offers, or whether the sense of security from regular employment and job offers became a factor in perceiving society positively,” this study used longitudinal data to reinforce the possibility that the tendency to perceive society positively contributes to job offer acquisition. This study provides important implications for considering approaches to university education and career support.