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US Annual Working Hours per Worker vs US College Enrollment

US Annual Working Hours per Worker and US College Enrollment correlate at r = -0.67 over 39 years (1971–2022), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = +0.07. Likely spurious (shared time trend).

Verdict: Likely spurious (shared time trend). Both series mostly just trend over time. After removing that trend the correlation collapses to 0.07 — the relationship is probably coincidental, not causal.

Pearson r
-0.67
p-value
< 0.0001
Years compared (n)
39 (1971–2022)
95% confidence interval
-0.81 to -0.45
Correlation with the time trend removed
+0.07

Sources

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Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.