Back

Americans think higher education can help people economically, particularly in their home states, according to this Public Agenda/USA TODAY. But by a variety of measures, Americans question whether the benefits of college are worth the cost. Young people without degrees are especially skeptical.

The research finds that Americans across partisan lines worry about high tuition and student debt in an economy that most think is rigged to benefit the wealthy. Most view a college education as time-consuming and see institutions as stuck in the past. Although many Americans recognize that higher education helps people become informed, engaged citizens, fewer think it benefits democracy overall.

However, there is strong agreement across the political spectrum that all Americans should have the opportunity to get a college education if they want one. There is also very strong support, across partisan lines, for state investments in specific initiatives to make public higher education more affordable, accessible, and responsive to today’s students, including working adults.

Related:
Here’s what schools should do about lack of faith in college education and its high cost | USA Today | July 17, 2022