New Poll Finds Public Confidence in Higher Education at Historic Low

A new poll from Gallup has found that public confidence in higher education is at an historic low.

Why do you suppose this is happening? It’s pretty easy to speculate. The cost of college tuition has skyrocketed over the last few decades and at the same time, colleges and universities have turned into left-wing indoctrination factories.

Students enter college as normal young people and emerge four years later in massive debt, and as America-hating socialists. What is there to have confidence in?

From Gallup:

Americans’ Confidence in Higher Education Down Sharply

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.

In 2015, majorities of Americans in all key subgroups expressed confidence in higher education, with one exception — independents (48%). By 2018, though, confidence had fallen across all groups, with the largest drop, 17 percentage points, among Republicans. In the latest measure, confidence once again fell across the board, but Republicans’ sank the most — 20 points to 19%, the lowest of any group. Confidence among adults without a college degree and those aged 55 and older dropped nearly as much as Republicans’ since 2018.

Is anyone really surprised by this news?

American confidence in higher education has sunk to a new low, according to a new Gallup poll. Just 36% of adults expressed high levels of confidence in higher ed. https://t.co/6Aq7JDzfXB

— Forbes (@Forbes) July 13, 2023

Higher education could change this if they wanted to. One way would be to teach the importance of free speech and free thought. They could stop student mobs from shouting down speakers they don’t like.

Will they do it?