Fox News Poll: Faith in higher education in the US is collapsing
Attitudes toward higher education have shifted dramatically in the last two decades, as the latest Fox News poll shows voters far less inclined to believe a college degree is still...
By Fox News · Fox News
Attitudes toward higher education have shifted dramatically in the last two decades, as the latest Fox News poll shows voters far less inclined to believe a college degree is still worth pursuing. In 2006, 65% thought a student with $100,000 should use it for college tuition rather than invest the money and go straight to work, and 84% said college was more important to success than it was 25 years earlier. FOX NEWS POLL: AS ECONOMIC PAIN DEEPENS, DISAPPROVAL OF TRUMP HITS NEW HIGH Today, those views have flipped. Two-thirds (65%) now say prospective college goers should invest the money and go straight to work. At the same time, more than 6 in 10 say college is less, rather than more, important to success than it was a generation ago. Twenty years ago, voters were split on whether a degree should be obtained at any cost (46% agree, 49% disagree). Now, three-quarters of voters say a college degree is not worth getting at any cost (27% agree, 73% disagree). FOX NEWS POLL: 30% THINK RECENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT WAS STAGED The shift spans demographic groups. In 2006, majorities of voters under age 30, over 65, college graduates, those without college degrees, Democrats, Republicans, and independents all thought college was worth the money and was important to success. Today, those same groups largely hold the opposite opinion. Additionally, if parents were making recommendations today, they would urge a high schooler to skip college and invest. They also think a degree is less important to success in life these days and disagree it should be obtained at any cost. Despite these reversals, voters express confidence in certain aspects of higher education. Majorities have a great deal or at least some confidence that universities provide a high-quality education (72% confident), protect free speech (63%), provide fair learning environments (62%), respect all students regardless of political views (60%), and prepare students for the workforce (58%). But voters are de…