'NEW LOW': Less than a third of Americans have a 'great deal' of confidence in higher education
A new poll released by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression shows that only 28% of Americans express a lot of trust in higher education.
A new poll released by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression shows that only 28% of Americans have a lot of trust in higher education.
The poll, commissioned by FIRE and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, shows a sharp drop in trust and confidence in higher education since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.
According to a press release from FIRE, the question “How much confidence, if any, do you have in U.S. colleges and universities?” was asked to respondents in both February and and May. Individuals were also polled on the same question in summer 2023.
In May, only 28% said they had a “great deal of confidence in colleges and universities, which is a drop from 31% in February, and 36% in summer 2023.
72% of respondents said they have ”very little” or “some” confidence in colleges and universities, according to the poll.
When broken down by political party, over 40% of individuals who identify as politically liberal or Democrat said they have a “great deal” of confidence in colleges and universities.
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12% of Republicans and 28% of independents, however, reported having high confidence in higher education.
FIRE wrote in the press release that the drops in confidence correlate with the anti-Israel encampment protests in the spring.
