Polls reveal Americans are not confident in higher ed, but still think a degree is important

A recent Gallup poll has just revealed Americans’ paradoxical attitudes regarding college tuition, clocking dropping confidence in the higher education system but a stable belief in its inherent importance.

The poll reveals the extent of the drop. “Americans’ confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than in two prior readings in 2015 (57%) and 2018 (48%),” Gallup noted.  

The increased skepticism at the benefits of a modern college tuition is especially prominent among conservatives and older adults. “In the latest measure, confidence once again fell across the board, but Republicans’ sank the most -- 20 points to 19%, the lowest of any group.” the Gallup Poll reads. 

“Confidence among adults without a college degree and those aged 55 and older dropped nearly as much as Republicans’ since 2018,” the outlet added. Among the non-college educated, confidence dropped to 29%, down from 45% in 2018 and 54% in 2015. Among adults 55 and over, it fell to 31% from 46% in 2018 and 55% in 2015.

Moreover, confidence in the education system declined with age. The youngest participants surveyed, 18–34-year-olds, displayed the most confidence in higher education. Still, even the youngest cohort only had 42% of their number express this confidence. And all cohorts showed a marked decrease in confidence since 2015 and even 2018.

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Stephanie Marken, a partner at Gallup who oversees research in education, spoke to The Hechinger Report about the results. According to Marken, people “feel like the system is unaffordable and rigged against most Americans.”

At the same time, other Gallup surveys reveal that, despite growing skepticism towards higher education, views on the importance of college have hardly budged. “Approximately three-quarters of currently enrolled college and prospective college students report that a college education is either more important than it was 20 years ago or equally as important, one survey read. “As might be expected, perceived importance is higher among currently enrolled students at 82%, compared with 72%.”

What explains this apparent contradiction? Chairman of the New York Federation College Republicans and Education Major James Marci spoke to Campus Reform. He blamed the current culture for enforcing an inaccurate, one-size-fits-all conception of higher education.

“The importance of education level is subjective to the individual, but the current culture hardwires getting a college degree as the most viable path,” Marci said.

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Marci clarified, however, that this does not mean college has lost its purpose entirely and was still crucial for many, just not for as many as popular narratives might suggest. 

“A college education shouldn’t be seen as the only option for our high school graduates,” he said. “For those seeking a degree in something that will prepare and certify them to do something that they could not do without the degree, I would argue that the positives heavily outweigh any setbacks and that higher education retains its importance for those who get something worthwhile out of it.”

Campus Reform also reached out to Stephanie Marken for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.