The data, although interesting, is pretty subjective I think. For example I could simply write on a survey that my satisfaction for my overall high school experience is a 5, but then again what am I comparing this to? Have I attended any other high schools? What are the criteria which defines contentment? Am I rating satisfaction and contentment based on my subjective projections and preconceptions of what they may be at other institutions? Am I someone who over-appreciates or under-appreciates things more than others? (Take me for example: I've noticed that when I rate music, movies, books, essays, girls, et cetera, I tend to rate them higher than my friends, typically by 2 more points on a 1-10 scale.)
The employment outcomes may provide the most objective and comparable statistics, but even then one can only postulate the reasoning for the results. With a large enough of a sample group, the subjectivity really converges, as seen by the overall similarity in the satisfaction between universities as opposed to the larger inequity between employment outcomes.
I'd be interested to look at the actual survey and how it's worded. Senator Pyne needs more statisticians; perhaps they really should have eased on those public sector cuts.
