Public Confidence in Higher Education Declines Again

A new Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey finds that public confidence in U.S. higher education has slipped back to 38% after a modest recovery to 42% last year, remaining far below the 57% recorded when Gallup first measured the figure in 2015. The decline this year is driven primarily by Democrats, whose confidence fell to a new low of 50%, down from 61% in 2025, though they remain more confident than independents (39%) and Republicans (23%). Among those who lack confidence, the top reasons cited are perceived political agendas on campuses (31%), the high cost of college (30%), and inadequate workforce preparation (25%). On the other side, those who are confident point to higher education’s role in developing critical thinking skills (33%), making students more informed and knowledgeable (30%), and providing better job opportunities (19%). A new question this year asked about AI’s impact, with 46% of Americans predicting college degrees will become less important over the next five years as AI becomes more widely used, underscoring the challenge higher education faces in adapting to a rapidly shifting workforce landscape.