Confidence in U.S. Higher Education Continues to Decline
Confidence in colleges and higher education institutions in the United States continues to decline. According to a recent survey conducted by Gallup in collaboration with the Lumina Foundation, Americans are nearly evenly divided in their confidence in higher education: 36% have a great deal of confidence, 32% have some confidence, and 32% have little or no confidence. This represents a significant decline over the past decade. In Gallup’s 2015 survey, 57% of respondents reported having a great deal of confidence in higher education, while 10% had little or no confidence. By 2018, these figures had shifted to 48% having a great deal of confidence and 16% having little or none.
The main reasons for the decline in confidence include higher education’s overemphasis on political agendas, failure to teach relevant skills, and high costs. Survey respondents were asked to express in their own words why they had confidence or lacked confidence in higher education, and these responses were then categorized into larger groups.
Among those with a great deal of confidence, 27% cited the importance of education for individuals and society, 24% pointed to the opportunities for job or life success, and 19% emphasized the skills provided, such as critical thinking and respect for different viewpoints.
Conversely, among those with little or no confidence, 41% criticized colleges for being “too liberal,” “indoctrinating” students, or not allowing independent thought. Additionally, 37% felt that higher education failed to teach relevant skills or that graduates struggled to find employment, and 28% criticized the high costs and student debt.