Is College Worth It?

01A new study says that Americans have increasing questions about the value and cost of a college education.

02Most of the people taking part in the study felt that higher education in the U.S.

03is headed in the wrong direction.

04Gallup and the Lumina Foundation carried out the study.

05It found that only 36% of adults said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education.

06That confidence level has decreased steadily from 57% in 2015.

07That was the first year in which Gallup measured confidence in higher education.

08The decline is seen in all subgroups of people, including sex, age, and political ties.

09Among Republican Party members in the study, the number of people with high confidence in higher education has dropped 36 percentage points over the last 10 years.

10That is far more than for Democratic Party members or independents.

11Some of the opinions in the study might show concerns about the high cost of college and how race and other subjects are taught.

1259-year-old Randy Hill is a registered Republican in Connecticut and a driver for a car service.

13He told the Associated Press, It's so expensive and I don't think colleges are teaching people what they need to get a job.

14Hill said his nephew plans to do a welding apprenticeship after high school.

15Instead of going to college.

16The June 2024 study found that 36% of adults feel strong confidence in higher education.

17That percentage is unchanged from the year before.

18But the researchers said they were concerned that fewer Americans were saying that they had some confidence and more were reporting very little or none.

19This year's findings show almost as many people have little or no confidence, 32%, as those with high confidence.

20Experts say that fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages in fields from healthcare to information technology.

21For those who do not go to college, it often means lower lifetime earnings.

22Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce said lifetime earnings for those without a bachelor's degree could be 75% less than for those with a degree.

23The Center also said that during an economic downturn, those without college degrees are more likely to lose their jobs.

24Courtney Brown is a vice president at Lumina, an education non-profit group.

25It aims to increase the number of students who seek education beyond high school.

26She said, What's shocking to me is that the people who have low or no confidence is actually increasing.

27This year's study added new, detailed questions in an effort to understand why confidence is shrinking.

28Almost one-third of people in the study said college is too expensive.

29About 25% thought students are not getting the right education or taught what they need to succeed.

30The study did not ask about the protests against the war in Gaza this year that divided many college communities.

31But people who took part said they had concerns about indoctrination, political bias, and that colleges are too liberal.

32Among those who said they lacked confidence in college, 41% said political activity was a reason.

3367% of adults in the study said colleges are headed in the wrong direction.

34That is more than two times higher than the 31% who think that colleges are going in the right direction.

35Gallup noted that when people express confidence in higher education, they are thinking of four-year colleges.

36But the study found that more people have confidence in two-year community colleges.

3749% of adults said they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in two-year programs, compared with 33% of Americans who feel that way about four-year colleges.

38California college student Kristen Freeman said she understands why.

39It's about saving money.

40That's why I went to a two-year.

41It's more bang for your buck, said Freeman, who is a 22-year-old sociology major at Diablo Valley Community College.

42She plans to go to San Jose State University for the final two years of college.

43Freeman said she understands the concerns about indoctrination and whether college prepares students for life and work.

44But she feels the only way to change structural problems is from the inside.

45I am learning about the world around me and developing useful skills in critical thinking, Freeman said.

46I think higher education can give students the spark to want to change the system.

47I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

48And I'm Ana Mateo.