Americans’ Confidence in Higher Education Down Sharply
Megan Brenan
July 11, 2023
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
36% have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education
Confidence down from 48% in 2018 and 57% in 2015
All major subgroups less confident, with Republicans dropping the most
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ confidence in higher education has fallen to 36%, sharply lower than in two prior readings in 2015 (57%) and 2018 (48%). In addition to the 17% of U.S. adults who have “a great deal” and 19% “quite a lot” of confidence, 40% have “some” and 22% “very little” confidence.
The latest decline in the public’s trust in higher education is from a June 1-22 Gallup poll that also found confidence in 16 other institutions has been waning in recent years. Many of these entities, which are tracked more often than higher education, are now also at or near their lowest points in confidence. Although diminished, higher education ranks fourth in confidence among the 17 institutions measured, with small business, the military and the police in the top three spots. This was also the case in 2018, the last time higher education was included in the list of institutions.
