70 percent of Americans believe higher education in the United States is heading in the wrong direction, a sharp rise from 56 percent in 2020, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
The findings show that Americans are increasingly skeptical of how colleges and universities operate, particularly in areas such as tuition affordability and job preparation.
“In the new survey, majorities across all major demographic groups share the view that the U.S. higher education system is going in the wrong direction,” Pew reported. “But some groups are more likely than others to say this. For example, adults who have a four-year college degree are somewhat more likely than those without a college degree to express this view (74% vs. 69%).”
Across political lines, 77 percent of those on the right say that higher education is going in the wrong direction, compared to 65 percent who are on the left.
When asked to evaluate specific areas of higher education performance, Americans gave largely poor marks. About 79 percent said colleges are doing a fair or poor job of keeping tuition affordable. Meanwhile, 55 percent said institutions are doing a fair or poor job preparing students for well-paying jobs, 52 percent gave low marks for providing financial help to students in need, and 49 percent rated colleges poorly for developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Concerns also extend to free speech and campus culture. “45% say colleges and universities are doing a fair or poor job exposing students to a wide range of opinions and viewpoints, Pew reported, “and a similar share (46%) say this about colleges and universities providing students opportunities to express their own opinions and viewpoints.”
The survey also measured views on mental health support and research output. About 46 percent said colleges are doing a fair or poor job providing mental health resources, while the strongest ratings came for advancing research and innovation, with 27 percent of Americans giving an excellent or very good rating.
