Confidence in higher education dips again, Gallup poll finds

KIM KOZLOWSKI

The Detroit News (TNS)

Confidence in higher education has fallen again, according to a poll released Tuesday by Gallup.

Thirty-six percent of Americans polled last month said they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education, a decline from when Gallup asked the question in 2015 (57 percent) and 2018 (48 percent).

The survey is part of a broader Gallup poll that shows dwindling confidence in 16 other institutions, including the military, police and the U.S. Supreme Court, according to Zach Hrynowski, a senior education researcher at Gallup. Questions about higher education are only periodically asked as part of the poll.

There isn’t a clear reason why confidence is declining, said Hrynowski. He suspected it might be partly due to Americans’ decreasing confidence in cornerstone institutions.

“As well as some of the challenges that higher education is facing in the public discourse,” he said, noting issues such as college costs, student debt and free speech on campus.

The poll showed the decline in confidence in higher education is highest among Republicans, which fell from 56 percent in 2015, when the question was first asked, to 19 percent in 2023, a drop of 37 percentage points. The second-highest confidence drop is among those without a college degree, which fell from 54 percent in 2015 to 29 percent in 2023, a 25 percentage point drop.

Hrynowski said there have also been “smaller levels of erosion of confidence in what you might think of as the bedrock of higher education advocates.”

He pointed to Democrats’ confidence in higher education, which has declined from 68 percent in 2015 to 59 percent in 2023.

“[For] members of the public who have a college degree, [their confidence] has declined by 10 points, so now less than half of bachelor degree-holding Americans say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education,” Hrynowski said.

Oakland University President Ora Pescovitz said it was incumbent, in light of the poll, on her and other higher educa- tion advocates to educate the public about the true value of a higher education.

College costs vary, depending on the institution, she said. The investment in a higher education delivers payoffs to the individual and the community, she said. A person with a fouryear degree, for instance, earns $1 million more in their lifetime than those without a degree, Pescovitz said. Communities with more people with higher education are more prosperous, she added.

“Getting an education is one of the best investments people can make,” Pescovitz said. “When you think about the tre- mendous return on that investment, in particular individuals who are first generation college students, those who come from underrepresented groups and those who have the opportunity for upward social mobility, there is no better investment than higher education.”

Pescovitz noted that Michigan business leaders and lawmakers have stood by higher education as a tool for helping make the state, community and individuals more prosperous. She said the most recently passed state budget for 2023-24 includes a 5 percent increase for community colleges and 6.4 percent increase for universities.

Pescovitz said Michigan business leaders and lawmakers have recognized higher education as a tool for helping make the state, community and individuals more prosperous.

The budget also includes $250 million for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which beginning in the fall will provide students at two-year public institutions up to $2,750 annually for up to three years. Students at four-year public institutions can qualify for up to $5,500 per year for up to five years and students at private, nonprofit fouryear institutions can qualify for up to $4,000 annually for up to five years.

“There is a huge amount of bipartisan support and recognition that investing in higher education is a good value,” said Pescovitz. “The state Legislature invested heavily in higher education recognizing that not only is it good for an individual but it will be good for our state and our state’s economy. There is a recognition that education is directly correlated to success.”

Others have a different perspective.

James Hohman, director of fiscal policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said a declining reputation in the public may threaten the support the institutions get from public funding.

“Something ought to get legislators to re-examine their higher education spending policies,” said Hohman. “What each university gets from taxpayers is based on nothing but politics and with little regard to getting good outcomes for students or the state. Maybe a souring reputation in the public will encourage policymakers to find a fairer way to fund the schools.”