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Most Americans believe state spending for public universities and colleges has increased or at least held steady over the last 10 years. In reality, states have collectively scaled back their annual higher education funding by $9 billion during that time when adjusted for inflation.
A new survey reveals that Americans, broadly speaking, do not fully appreciate the sweeping changes that have occurred in the higher education funding and aid landscape during the past decade. Furthermore, there are salient differences in Americans’ beliefs about the public dollars fueling higher education—and who has access to it—based upon age, race, income, political affiliation, and other characteristics.