Americans’ belief in the importance of higher education has hit a low point amid increasing concerns about the high cost of college.
Only 31 percent of respondents in a new Gallup poll said a college education is “very important,” a four-percentage-point drop from last year and the lowest number since the question was first asked in 1978. As recently as 2013, 70 percent of American adults said college was very important.
On the flip side, the percentage of Americans who say a college education is “not too important” has grown from 6 percent in 2013 to 29 percent today, while the percentage saying it is “fairly important” has risen from 23 percent to 39 percent.
The results illustrate the fraught relationship Americans have with higher education. Although previous polling shows most Americans still want their children to pursue a college degree, they say colleges are doing a terrible job of keeping costs down.
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