Stony Brook Researchers Find Americans’ Views of Higher Education Are More Complex Than Headlines Suggest

Public confidence in higher education has declined sharply over the last decade, but Americans continue to see value in college degrees, community colleges, research universities, academic medical centers and university hospitals, according to a new analysis by Stony Brook University political scientists Leonie Huddy and Seden Yilmazturk.

Huddy, a State University of New York Distinguished Professor in the Department of Political Science, and Yilmazturk, a political science PhD student, examine the complexity of public opinion toward higher education in an article in Change magazine, "The Multifaceted Nature of Public Opinion on Higher Education." The article summarizes recent findings from national polls conducted by Gallup, Pew Research Center, New America's Varying Degrees survey, the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and the American Association of Universities. Their findings are also presented in greater depth in a longer scholarly article in Perspectives on Politics.

Their central finding is a paradox: Americans have become more skeptical of higher education as a sector, particularly in broad measures of institutional confidence, while continuing to value many of its core outcomes.

Gallup polling shows that the share of Americans who have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education fell from 57 percent in 2015 to 42 percent in 2025. Huddy and Yilmazturk note that this decline has been driven largely by Republican respondents. Among Republicans, confidence fell from 56 percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2025, creating a substantial partisan gap.

Pew polling shows a similar pattern. In 2010, 61 percent of Americans said colleges and universities had a positive effect on the way things were going in the country. By 2024, that figure had fallen to 53 percent. The overall decline was modest, but it masked a sharp partisan divergence. The share of Republicans who viewed higher education positively dropped from 58 percent to 31 percent, while the share of Democrats who did so rose from 65 percent to 74 percent.

Huddy and Yilmazturk connect these findings to a broader political debate over higher education, including concerns about liberal bias on campus, diversity-related programs, antisemitism, free speech and the role of universities in public life. In an AP/NORC poll conducted in May 2025, 69 percent of Americans expressed at least some concern about political bias on college campuses. That concern was far more intense among Republicans: 60 percent said they were extremely or very concerned about liberal bias, compared with 20 percent of Democrats.

But the researchers also show that this partisan divide is much less pronounced when Americans are asked about more specific aspects of higher education, including the value of a degree, the role of colleges in preparing students for the workforce and the societal benefits of university-based research.

Americans remain broadly concerned about the cost of college, a concern that cuts across party lines. Yet Huddy and Yilmazturk find little evidence that the degree itself has lost its value in the public mind. Pew data show that college graduates continue to report that their education helped them gain the skills and knowledge needed for a well-paying job. Gallup polling also shows that interest in higher education remains strong among adults who do not yet have a college degree or credential. In 2024, 57 percent of adults without a degree had thought about enrolling in a higher education program in the previous two years, with interest especially strong among adults 35 and younger.

New America polling further shows that Americans continue to rate different types of institutions as worth the cost, especially community colleges. In 2025, 87 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans said community colleges were worth the cost. Public four-year colleges and universities also retained majority support, though with a wider partisan gap.

That pattern, according to the researchers, suggests that Americans distinguish between higher education as an institution under political scrutiny and the tangible benefits that colleges and universities provide to individuals and society.

The public also continues to value university-based research. Huddy and Yilmazturk cite American Association of Universities polling showing that Americans believe leading research universities, academic medical centers and university hospitals make the country better off. In 2025, 66 percent of Americans said leading research universities make the country better off, while 72 percent said the same of university hospitals and 75 percent said the same of academic medical centers.

A May 2025 AP/NORC poll reached a similar conclusion. Sixty-two percent of Americans said they favored maintaining federal funding for scientific and medical research at colleges and universities. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to support continued funding, but a majority of Republicans also favored maintaining it.

For Huddy and Yilmazturk, these findings point to a more nuanced understanding of higher education's standing with the public. Broad measures of institutional confidence reveal real vulnerabilities, especially as higher education becomes more central to partisan conflict. At the same time, Americans continue to recognize the value of college credentials, workforce preparation and research conducted at universities.

The researchers caution that available polling data do not prove what has caused the decline in confidence among Republicans or whether political messages from national leaders directly shaped opinion. Much of the evidence comes from cross-sectional surveys, which track public opinion at different points in time but do not follow the same individuals over time.

Still, the findings raise important questions for political scientists, higher education leaders and policymakers. Huddy and Yilmazturk argue that higher education must address public concerns about cost, workforce preparation and political bias, while also communicating more clearly about the benefits that Americans still value.

Their analysis suggests that the future of public support for higher education may depend not only on responding to criticism, but also on helping the public see the full range of what colleges and universities contribute, from educating students and strengthening the workforce to advancing scientific and medical research that benefits society.