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Public confidence in American higher education has taken a new blow, ending a brief recovery, as concerns about college politics and financial costs grow, according to a new Gallup poll obtained by Fox News Digital.
Recent data reveals that only 38% of US adults maintain a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. This figure represents a significant drop from last year, when confidence in the sector rose to an estimated 42%.
“It’s kind of three things that we’re seeing—those are still front and center and why people are not as confident as they used to be: cost, there’s a perception that there’s a political agenda being taught, and there’s an acceptance that they’re not teaching people the right kinds of things that they need to succeed in the workplace when they graduate,” said Fox News analyst Gallup in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“The US public’s trust in higher education remains much lower than it was a decade ago, but Americans’ views are not as bad as they were in 2024, when equal shares had high or high confidence as they had little or no confidence,” Gallup researchers noted. “After a slight recovery in confidence last year among all political parties, views on higher education have retreated this year, especially among Democrats.”
Public confidence in America’s higher education has fallen after a brief recovery as concerns about institutional politics and financial value grow, according to a new Gallup poll first obtained by Fox News Digital. (Stock)
The survey probed respondents about what causes their self-doubt, revealing three distinct themes among those lacking confidence:
• 31% cited bias or indoctrination at college campuses.
• 30% point to the high cost of a college degree.
• 25% believe that colleges are failing to prepare students to succeed in today’s job market.
Gallup researchers noted that criticism of workforce readiness takes on more urgency as artificial intelligence rapidly changes the employment landscape.
“This last criticism takes on even more importance as AI emerges as a technology that could disrupt the workforce and make it harder for graduates to find work after graduation,” the report added. “The challenge for higher education is whether it can adapt its policies to plan for success in the workplace in the future.”
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The survey found that 38% of American adults say they have “a lot” or “a great deal” of trust in the institution, down from 42% last year. (Stock)
The current confidence mark of 38% underscores a significant, long-term decline since 2015, when 57% of Americans expressed strong confidence in higher education. Significant declines followed in 2018 and 2023.
Currently, 37% of Americans report that they have “confidence” in the institution, while 25% have “very little” or “none.” The proportion of the public with little faith has risen from 10% in 2015 to 32% in 2024, before briefly falling back to 23% last year.
The findings come amid a broader push by the Trump administration to eliminate bigotry, anti-Semitism, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) structures at all US universities.
The administration previously designated “public discourse” as one of four key areas of national need within its competitive federal grant program. In response to that mandate, the Ministry of Education introduced priorities to seven institutions under the Fund for the Promotion of Higher Education (FIPSE).
As a key part of that initiative, $60 million in federal grants are being used under a directive titled “Enhancing Public Discourse at Colleges and Universities.”
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President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Colleges and universities that receive FIPSE funds are required to create measures that “encourage respectful discussion and debate in colleges and universities, where free speech has long been stifled by censorship, harassment, and even violent riots.”
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Projects approved under the grant include seminars, speaker series, academic conferences, structured debates, and other learning tracks aimed at protecting a variety of political views and reviving open dialogue.
