Three-quarters of Americans said they believe it is easier to be successful with a college degree than without, according to a new survey from New America. But despite that belief, many Americans believe higher education is not helping students succeed.
The survey and report, Varying Degrees, compile data and responses from a survey of the general public ages 18 and older in order to better understand perceptions of higher education and economic mobility.
The report explores the “pessimism about the American Dream, the undelivered promise of American higher education, and the value of public colleges and universities.”
The results show that overall, people are aware that the American Dream is increasingly out of reach, but they also recognize that higher education is an important social good. People with college educations earn more over their lifetimes than those without, and a more educated population benefits society in multiple ways, including increasing tax revenues and lowering unemployment.
(Next page: Do Americans believe community colleges and four-year institutions are worth the cost?)
Americans believe both community colleges (82 percent) and public four-year colleges (61 percent) are worth the cost. They also strongly believe that these public institutions prepare students to be successful and contribute to the American workforce.
The survey reveals that 67 percent of Americans believe colleges and universities should help their students succeed, but 58 percent said they believe colleges overall put their own long-term interests ahead of those of their students.
Americans see room for higher education to improve–just 25 percent of surveyed Americans agree that the nation’s higher education system is fine the way it is. Millennials, who are on track to be the most educated generation to date, according to the Pew Research Center, and therefore have the most experience with the system, are more likely than other generations to think it is not working as well as it could. Only 13 percent of Millennials agree that higher education is fine how it is.
While a majority of Americans think all types of colleges and universities contribute to a strong workforce and prepare people to be successful, there is a drop-off compared to public institutions when it comes to “being worth the cost,” “being for people in my situation,” and “always putting students first.”
Four out of five (79 percent) Americans believe that most people who enroll in college benefit. This is true regardless of generation and is in stark contrast to the 25 percent who say higher education is working fine. There is wide agreement, however, that not everyone has an equal opportunity regarding this benefit.
Overall, only 4 in 10 believe that all Americans have a decent chance of getting into a good college. And there is recognition that many students are not graduating; only 46 percent of people think most people who go to college finish with a degree. Those in the youngest generation, Generation Z, are most likely to recognize that not all students graduate.
Nationally, approximately 59 percent of full-time, first-time students at four-year institutions in 2009 who were seeking a bachelor’s degree managed to complete one six years later. And only 32 percent of full-time, first-time students at two-year institutions in 2012 completed a degree within three years.
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