(TNND) — Confidence in higher education slipped again this year, reversing some improvement in sentiment following a low point a couple of years ago.
Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found that just 38% of American adults have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education.
About a decade ago, 57% of Americans were confident in higher education. Confidence slid to a low point of 36% in 2023 and 2024 before ticking back up to 42% last year.
But the trend is again pointing downward in 2026.
Courtney Brown, the vice president of impact and planning for the Lumina Foundation, said the new survey shows “higher education remains fragile.”
“It’s not necessarily disheartening,” she said. “I think it’s an opening for higher ed to respond to what the public is asking for.”
Brown said Americans are questioning the value and affordability of higher education. And she said Americans are demanding proof that colleges can prepare students to succeed in today’s evolving workforce.
“For decades, higher ed could exist on reputation alone. And they can no longer exist on reputation alone,” she said. “Americans are asking harder questions. It’s not just your reputation. You’ve got to show us you’re going to deliver.”
The survey, conducted last month and published Tuesday, showed another 37% of Americans have “some” confidence in higher education, while 25% have “very little” or “none.”
Confidence among Democrats slipped from 61% to 50% since last year, though confidence remains lower among independents (39%) and Republicans (23%).
People who have a four-year college degree were no more confident in higher education than people without a degree, 36% to 35%, respectively.
Confidence was highest among those with a postgraduate education, but even there, it fell short of a majority at just 49%.
Brown said college grads in the survey seem to be reflecting on the “ecosystem” of higher education more than their personal experiences, citing another recent survey her group conducted that found most alumni saw value in their education.
Bachelor’s degrees do pay, Brown said.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the typical college graduate makes about 65% more than the typical worker with only a high school diploma. And college graduates have a lower unemployment rate.
But the survey from Gallup and Lumina Foundation, which works to make opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all, found the lack of confidence in higher education mostly stems from three areas: perceived political agendas on college campuses, the high cost of a college education, and colleges not preparing students well for the workforce.
On the flip side, those who expressed confidence in higher education pointed broadly to the colleges’ ability to improve students’ knowledge and skills, such as those needed for critical thinking, along with improved job opportunities.
Previous surveys from Art & Science Group, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit educational institutions, found both students and their parents generally see college as worth the cost.
Cost is a concern, but it’s just one factor in the “value proposition” colleges and universities can offer, Craig Goebel, a principal at Art & Science Group, previously told The National News Desk.
The Art & Science Group surveys found that over 90% of college-bound high school seniors viewed college as worth the cost. And 83% of parents viewed the financial investment in their child’s education as worthwhile.
The survey from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation included a new question this year about artificial intelligence, finding that a plurality of Americans think AI will diminish the value of a college degree.
That view was held by 46% of respondents, while a third said the value of a college degree will stay the same, and 20% said a degree will become more important as AI becomes more a part of everyone’s workday.
Brown said colleges don’t do a great job of helping students understand how the lessons they’re learning will apply to the workforce. But she said the core skills colleges can teach – such as critical thinking, communication and judgment – should be more important than ever in the age of AI.
“That’s what humans are going to need in the workforce in the future,” she said.
