Giving Compass' Take:

• According to a recent poll from Gallup, about half of U.S. adults think having a college education is "very important.'

• The decrease was more pronounced among young people and conservatives. What are the main reasons causing this? How can colleges become more appealing to all?

Here are lessons for increasing equity in higher education. 


Researchers and college administrators have been ringing alarm bells for several years following studies that show the public's confidence in higher ed has fallen.

One of the most startling examples of this rapidly declining trust came in July 2017, when the Pew Research Center published a poll showing that 58% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents viewed higher ed as having a negative influence on the country. About 72% of Democrats or Democrat-aligned respondents believed higher ed was a positive force in the U.S.

Gallup followed up on the Pew study a month later, diving into why Republicans were so mistrustful of higher ed. Researchers found conservatives perceived higher ed to be too partisan or entrenched in left-leaning viewpoints. About 32% of those who said they have little confidence in higher ed said they found colleges to be "too liberal/political." And 21% said they believed the institution didn't let students think for themselves or pushed an agenda.

Read the full article about how Americans are viewing college by Jeremy Bauer-Wolf at Education Dive.