Several responses to this year’s survey regarding confidence in higher education indicate that the “current state of higher education is trending downward,” according to the report’s authors.

For instance, just 54% of adults said the higher education sector has a positive impact on the country, down 16 percentage points from five years ago. And even though 75% of respondents indicated that college provides students a positive ROI, that share has fallen from 80% who said the same in 2019.

These trends are in line with other recent surveys. Almost one-third of polled adults said they have little to no confidence in higher education, according to research released earlier this month from Gallup and Lumina Foundation.

Despite these trends, respondents to New America’s survey indicated that they still believe college is an important stop on the road to financial security.

Just 26% of respondents said they believe their family members would only need to complete a high school diploma to be financially stable. Fourteen percent said the minimum level of education to reach this goal would be an associate degree, while 28% selected a bachelor’s degree.

“While a majority of Americans are unhappy with the way higher education operates, they still recognize the benefits of having a postsecondary credential and still want their children and family members to pursue one,” the report’s authors wrote.

Read the full article about confidence in higher education by Natalie Schwartz at Higher Ed Dive.