CHICAGO, Sept. 29, 2020 – The Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS)—one of the largest state CPA societies in the nation—is launching an in-depth research project to gain insight into what is driving the decline in individuals pursuing the certified public accountant (CPA) credential.

A key component of the project is a survey aimed at understanding why some accounting students and young professionals in accounting and finance careers don’t finish the CPA exam—or never take it at all.

“Earning the CPA credential is one of the most notable ways to establish your professional identity and exhibit a high level of competence in the accounting and finance profession, yet we are witnessing a nationwide decline in new CPAs,” says Todd Shapiro, ICPAS president and CEO. “While this trend is not unique to Chicago, Illinois, or the Midwest, as a professional membership organization serving CPAs for nearly 120 years, we feel compelled to try to identify the driving factors for the decline.”

The survey is being deployed on Sept. 29, 2020 to accounting and finance students and professionals under the age of 35, including CPAs and non-CPAs. The survey will close Oct. 15, 2020, and the responses are anticipated to reveal trends and key issues that will arm ICPAS—and the CPA profession—with a deeper understanding of the perceptions and value drivers that separate those who decide to pursue the CPA credential early in their careers from those who do not. ICPAS hopes this insight will aid in developing effective strategies for promoting the CPA credential and ensuring its sustainability and relevance moving forward.

Accounting and finance students and professionals under the age of 35, with and without the CPA credential, are encouraged to complete the survey. ICPAS also encourages all accounting and finance professionals to share the survey link with those they know in the target audience.