You can read a bulletin from Sussex University on the study
here.
This work was described as a study, and from the description I doubt there were any surveys or statistical analyses involved. It appears to be a description and comparison of the goth lifestyle in several areas. I think concluding goths are "more likely" to have high powered careers than other groups is likely a misreading of the work (mainstream media mischaracterizing an academic work -- wow, big surprise there.) The author's point appears to be that many goths and former goths are mainstream and quite successful. It doesn't sound like she's trying to do a rigerous comparison of later career success between various youth subcultures.
Given what I was saying earlier about socio-economic status, I feel somewhat vindicated by the quote from the author, "Goths have an unfair reputation. They might not like me saying it, but the Goth lifestyle, unlike the Punk scene, is a middle-class subculture. Those who remain as Goths into their thirties are usually holding down pretty good jobs."
I should also point out that any comparison between the careers of goths and other (largely youth) subcultures would be between goths and PAST youth subcultures (ones that were big when *I* was a youth) not between goths and CURRENT youth subcultures. (You're not going to find out if said youths go on to have a high-flung career until they grow up, after all.)
Kantark - the work appears to have been Dr. Brill's doctoral dissertation. (I wish MY doctoral dissertation had gotten that much press.
). So unless you were expecting the entire university to shut down (instead of just the chemestry departmet) your objection is unfounded. The university can hardly go around and tell everyone to stop their dissertation work and unless UK universities are funded in a drastically different way than US ones (a possibility) they wouldn't save money by doing so.
Alyss - Thanks for the link to the Guardian story.
It was interesting and a much more sensible report than the BBC's.
