Public attitudes toward higher education and its value

Public perceptions of higher education are complex and multifaceted. A Chronicle of Higher Education 2023 report found that while Americans believe in the value of a college credential, they are not convinced higher education is fulfilling its promise to society; nonetheless, many recent polls, surveys, and reports also conclude that people, whether they have a four-year degree or not, would advise others to pursue one. Respondents are mixed on whether they think four-year institutions do a good job educating their students—or that colleges and universities greatly benefit graduates. Alternatives like trade schools or community colleges appear to many Americans as a viable path to a successful livelihood. However, colleges’ value to communities and society draws skepticism. Overall, the Chronicle found that respondents felt higher education is important for individual attainment, but not necessarily for the greater good.

Similarly to the Chronicle report,  a 2023 Gallup survey found that Americans’ confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than in two previous readings in 2015 (57%) and 2018 (48%), with the greatest drop in confidence measured among adults without a college degree (29%, down from 54% in 2015) and those aged 55 and older (31% compared to 55% in 2015). These numbers from the Chronicle report and the Gallup survey reflect the long history of complex public perceptions.

Overview of American higher education and public opinion

In the early 20th century, higher education was seen as a privilege for the few, often reserved for the elite or those pursuing academia or specialized professions. Nonetheless, between 1870 and 1910, nearly all institutions of higher education enjoyed a surge in appeal both to prospective students and to benefactors, what historians have called the "Age of the University."

College enrollments and public enthusiasm increased after World War I while the onset of the Great Depression illustrated an interesting phenomenon: college enrollments increase during times of national financial hardship. Before World War II, a small proportion of Americans went to college: in 1937, just 15 percent of high school students went on to higher education, and most of them were from upper-income families.

As the century progressed, with the creation of the GI Bill and expansion of state-funded universities, higher education become more democratized and opened access to a broader segment of the population, fostering the view that higher education was a stepping stone to the American Dream, a pathway to personal advancement and a better life. College enrollment surged.

During what is considered higher education’s “golden age” (1945-1970), one of the greatest transformations, besides the implementation of the GI Bill, was the emergence of a network of public junior colleges that offered advanced, terminal degree instruction and certification in a range of professional and occupational fields. By the 1960s, the addition of a third function—readily accessible, low-priced continuing education for adults—led to a change in the name from junior college to community college.

However, as American campuses and enrollments expanded in the late 1950s and 1960s, students began to feel they were not being well served. Crowding, lack of dormitories, and large lecture halls created the "impersonality of the multiversity." This, combined with burgeoning political activism over free speech, antiwar protests, and issues of civil rights and social justice, spawned unrest on many American campuses between 1968 and 1972. Changes in attitude, coupled with campus unrest culminating with Kent State and Jackson State in 1970, and a stressed national economy, signaled for the first time in decades a tapering in public support for and confidence in colleges/universities and higher education.

Starting at about the same time (1970) was the transition from the expectation that 40-50% of high school graduates would pursue postsecondary education to the expectation that all high school graduates would do so. This transition was reflected in public college or university enrollments, which accounted for about 75% of higher education enrollments. The broadened expectations also  expanded community college and technical institute enrollments during this period, from 82,000 in 1950 to 1.3 million in 1980.

Rising costs and questions about return on investment

It was during the 1970s that students and the public began questioning whether the return on a college degree was worth the investment. In 1971 a male college graduate earned 22% more than a high school graduate; in 1979, a college degree increased earnings by 13%. By 1987, the earnings gap was 38%. That rise was an improvement, but doubts continued about higher education’s ROI. Additionally, the 1980s saw a dramatic increase in the cost of college. It was rising faster than inflation and the average family income.

Roughly from 2015 to the present, public concerns over rising tuition costs and the burden of student debt led the public to question the economic value of a degree, even as most Americans believed there was value in obtaining a degree. At the same time, the public views community colleges as a more worthwhile investment than other public universities.

Recently, the rising costs of attending a college or university has been directed to individuals, sparking a new shift in public attitudes. Before the Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009), states generally provided more than 50% of the cost for an individual to attend college. Now, the average is roughly 12%, resulting in the shifting of major educational costs from the state to the attendee—signaling perhaps that policymakers have determined that higher education is not a public good but an individual endeavor that is increasingly viewed as cost prohibitive or not worth the costs.

Cost is increasingly showing up in surveys as a negative aspect of attending college. Almost seven in 10 (69%) Student Voice respondents say higher education institutions in general charge too much for undergraduate education. A Gallup-Lumina Foundation study found that among currently enrolled students who have considered stopping or dropping out, 31% cite cost as a reason. The same study found that 53% of students who would enroll in college indicated that financial aid and scholarships are as important as their confidence in the value of the degree or credential being sought (also at 53%). 

When a Global Strategy Group survey asked respondents interested in pursuing or wanting to pursue higher education how they defined its “value,” respondents’ answers were overwhelmingly and primarily economic, and they desired an increased say in what they, as “consumers” (as opposed to “learners” or better-informed citizens—education for the sake of education), expect to receive from their educational institutions.  When evaluated further, a sticking point for most was that they do not believe higher education is worth the—or the debt accrued—compared to the expected or earned salaries.

According to the 2023 New America survey, 92% of Americans believe that more transparency is needed about colleges’ ROI, while approximately 74% believe colleges should lose access to funding if graduates do not earn a living wage. Overall, respondents who are unhappy with higher education expressed their unhappiness with colleges and universities for not being more “affordable”.

Higher education’s ability to prepare students for jobs comes under scrutiny

The 1970s ushered in a fundamental shift in the mission of higher education from education for the sake of education to pre-professional studies and a translation of one’s study into employment after graduation.

Four in 10 Pew respondents said in a recent survey that it’s not too or not at all important to have a four-year college degree to get a well-paying job in today’s economy, and half said it is less important to have a four-year degree to get a well-paying job today than it was 20 years ago. This shift is particularly prominent among millennials and Gen Z, with 60% expressing skepticism about the value of a college education. A recent CNBC report found that more than 75% of current high school students say two-year or technical certification is enough, while 41% believe they must have a four-year degree to get a good job.

Additionally, members of Gen Z are increasingly more interested in hands-on learning, or career pathways that do not require a four-year degree. The term "toolbelt generation" has emerged to describe this trend and reflects Gen Z’s open-mindedness to or preference in embracing the trades over the traditional college pipeline, as well as those increasingly choosing vocational training and skilled trades over traditional four-year college degrees.

However, the facts cast postsecondary education in a brighter light. A college degree significantly improves one’s employment prospects and earnings potential, with Bachelor’s degree holders half as likely to be unemployed as their peers whose highest degree is a high school diploma and projected to make $1.2 million in additional earnings over their lifetime. The Chronicle reports that those who are reaping the financial rewards of their degree say the benefits outweigh the costs. Nearly 80%  of people with a college degree indicated the cost is worth it. That figure climbs to 88% for those with a household income greater than $100,000 and drops to 63% among graduates with less than $50,000.

Current public attitudes towards higher education, its economic value, and the “toolbelt” generation

Even as Americans increasingly question the value of higher education—particularly as a path to high-paying jobs—and express unhappiness and concerns with the state of higher education, surveys suggest (as already noted) that many still see the value in obtaining a degree, and according to a 2024 study, the New America Survey three-quarters of Americans believe higher education offers a good return on investment for the student. More than 70% of these respondents want their children or family members to earn at least some postsecondary education, even if students need to borrow to attend, while, recent data from the Pew Research Center found almost half (47%) of Americans only believe college is worth it if students don’t take out loans. Meanwhile, according to Inside Higher Ed, parents say college is necessary to find a good job (73%). However, nearly half (46%) say they question whether it’s still a good investment, with many (68%) concerned about student debt compared to post-college earnings; and, per a 2023 Bright Horizons’ report, working individuals said the cost of tuition (56%) is what prevents them from pursuing additional education, seeing more value in credentials than a four-year degree. Within this context, two-year colleges are much more favorably viewed.

However, Americans were feeling even more positive about higher education a decade ago.  Per a New York Times Magazine article, data presented from public-opinion polls in the early 2010s found 86% of college graduates said that college had been a good investment; in another, 74% of young adults said a college education was “very important”; and, in a third, 60% of Americans said that colleges and universities were having a positive impact on the country.  

Trust in Higher Education: political affiliation

A striking development in polling trends involving higher education has emerged over the past 10 years: it has become more politically partisan. A decade ago, there was not much difference between members of the two political parties when it came to their opinions about higher education. Ninety-six percent of parents who identified as Democrats said they expected their kids to attend college—only to be outdone by Republican parents, 99% of whom said they expected their kids to go to college.

Then, around 2015, that consensus shattered, and the confidence of those respondents who identified as Republican suddenly and precipitously dropped. In an ongoing Pew survey, the portion of Republicans (including those who lean Republican) who said colleges and universities had a negative effect on the country rose to 58% from 37% from 2015 to 2017. Meanwhile, the responses of Democrats (including those who lean Democrat) who felt that colleges and universities had a positive effect held steady at 72%.

The Republican decline has persisted. In a 2023 Gallup poll, only 19% of Republicans said they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education compared to 59% of Democrats answering the same.

Republicans are not only less confident than Democrats about colleges and universities in general, but the reasons Republicans give for these attitudes differ from those provided by the smaller group of Democrats who are negative. The  Republican response generally has to do with ideology, and they are more likely to cite their belief that colleges and universities are too liberal and political, that colleges do not allow students to think for themselves and are pushing their agenda, or that students are not taught the right material or are poorly educated. By contrast, Democrats with low confidence in U.S. colleges cite issues dealing with practical aspects of higher education— reporting that colleges are too expensive, not well-run or have deteriorating quality, or that college graduates cannot find jobs.

Additionally, those who identify as conservatives or Republicans tend to prioritize higher education’s mission as providing business and job-ready graduates and seeing postsecondary education as an investment in human capital. On the other hand, those identifying as Democrats focus on the transformative power of education and view it as a means of empowering individuals. In a Global Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group for Third Way survey that sought to evaluate what people viewed as the primary value that postsecondary education provided, they presented two options: setting students up for successful careers or creating informed citizens and  asked respondents which outcome aligned most closely with their own beliefs. A slight majority, 57%, chose career outcomes—with Republicans seeing the value of higher education in successful careers greater than informed citizens by 10 percentage points (63% to 53% of Democrats, respectively).

Respondents to The Chronicle’s survey also reflect partisan divides, with Republicans and conservatives expressing deep reservations about higher education and Democrats and liberals mostly being supportive, particularly in how higher education benefits society. However, Americans are less convinced of higher education institutions’ broad benefit to society: 40% think colleges in their area provide a good amount of benefit to the local community, and just 15% see a great deal of benefit, with similar figures reported when asked about benefits accruing to the state and to society overall. However, Democrats are more likely to believe colleges in their area benefit the local community, the state, and society overall (more than 60%), while 50% of Republicans and Independents feel the same.

As Pew notes, Americans, specifically Republicans and those leaning Republican with low confidence in higher education, tend to view it through their political ideology, and this political realignment has contributed to the widening public-opinion divide on higher education, but not necessarily the public’s trust in higher education as an institution. While the general perception of higher education may be diminishing, a majority of Americans continue to believe in the value of educational opportunities beyond high school.

This article was prepared by SSTI using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070129 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.