{"id":672692,"date":"2025-10-15T10:02:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=672692"},"modified":"2025-10-15T10:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:02:07","slug":"survey-americans-trust-higher-ed-672692","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/survey-americans-trust-higher-ed-672692\/","title":{"rendered":"Survey: Americans back higher ed\u2014but worry about campus culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

University of Rochester\u2019s James Druckman helps lead sweeping 50-state study on public attitudes toward universities.<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n

Higher education in the United States enjoys broad public support, but Americans are concerned about its costs and some aspects of campus culture, according to a sweeping new national survey led in part by James Druckman<\/a>, a political scientist at the University of Rochester<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The study\u2014\u201cHigher Education Public Opinion Analysis: Strong Support Amid Specific Vulnerabilities\u201d\u2014is the first report from the American Higher Education Barometer<\/a> (AHEB), a collaboration among researchers at the University of Rochester, Northeastern University, Rutgers University, Harvard University, and others. It draws on more than 31,000 survey responses from all 50 states, making it one of the most comprehensive snapshots of public opinion on US colleges and universities in recent years.<\/p>\n

Druckman, the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science, says the findings paint a nuanced picture of an institution that Americans trust and view as a crucial incubator for technology and scientific innovation\u2014despite facing challenges in the way of public perception.<\/p>\n

\u201cUniversities remain among the most trusted institutions in American life,\u201d Druckman says. \u201cBut there\u2019s clear evidence that the public wants higher education to take its challenges seriously, from affordability to free speech. The good news is that broad support provides a foundation for doing just that.”<\/p>\n

Broad support, deep concerns<\/h3>\n

According to the report, 59 percent of Americans approve of the role US universities play in society, and 75 percent say they trust them at least somewhat. This places higher education fourth among major institutions evaluated in terms of \u201cinstitutional trust,\u201d behind only hospitals and doctors, the military, and scientists and researchers.<\/p>\n

Nine in 10 Americans recognize universities as vital for science and technology, while 83 percent credit them with advancing healthcare and economic growth. Nearly three-quarters also view them as crucial for democracy.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the survey found widespread anxiety about campus life and rising costs:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 87 percent of respondents say they are concerned about tuition and student debt.<\/li>\n
  • 84 percent worry about free speech on campus, and 77 percent about what they perceive as universities and colleges having a \u201cliberal bias.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • More than eight in 10 express concerns about discrimination on campus, including racism, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.<\/li>\n
  • Three-quarters have concerns about transgender athletes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cThese aren\u2019t fringe issues,\u201d Druckman says. \u201cThey\u2019re shared concerns across the political spectrum, even if people disagree on solutions. The data suggest the public isn\u2019t anti-university. People just want to see institutions engage constructively with difficult topics.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Majorities oppose federal and state funding cuts<\/h3>\n

    Another key takeaway is that the public strongly rejects government efforts to reduce university research support.<\/p>\n

    Majorities opposed cutting federal or state funding for science, health, or education by margins of roughly four or five to one. Nearly half of Americans say they favor more investment in scientific research, and 57 percent want more medical research funding.<\/p>\n

    The survey found that many respondents would act to protect research funding:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • 57 percent say they would contact a member of Congress to oppose cuts to science funding if asked by a university to which they have ties.<\/li>\n
    • 62 percent would do the same to defend health research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Those findings, Druckman notes, show universities have an underused reservoir of public goodwill.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThere\u2019s enormous potential for mobilization,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople want to stand up for the research and innovation that make universities essential to national progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

      A complex but promising picture<\/h3>\n

      The report, authored by Druckman along with David Lazer and Mauricio Santillana (Northeastern), Katherine Ognyanova (Rutgers), and Matthew Baum (Harvard), argues that higher education operates from a \u201cposition of relative strength,\u201d but faces \u201cgenuine vulnerabilities\u201d that could erode that strength if left unaddressed.<\/p>\n

      The researchers recommend that universities emphasize shared values\u2014such as scientific discovery, technological innovation, and community benefit\u2014while proactively acknowledging public concerns about affordability, discrimination, and free expression, and avoiding dismissing them as partisan attacks.<\/p>\n

      AHEB plans to release additional reports tracking changes in attitudes over time and exploring how public views of universities intersect with politics, media coverage, and policy debates.<\/p>\n

      For Druckman, who is widely considered an authority on political polarization and trust in institutions, the findings offer a measure of optimism.<\/p>\n

      \u201cWe live in an era in which many institutions have lost credibility,\u201d he says. \u201cUniversities haven\u2019t. They still enjoy the confidence of most Americans\u2014Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike.<\/p>\n

      \u201cThat\u2019s an extraordinary asset,\u201d he adds, \u201cbut one that must be nurtured.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      University of Rochester\u2019s James Druckman helps lead sweeping 50-state study on public attitudes toward universities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1262,"featured_media":672872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[456],"tags":[21462,41172,16072],"class_list":["post-672692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-society-culture","tag-department-of-political-science","tag-james-druckman","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSurvey: Americans back higher ed\u2014but worry about campus culture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"University of Rochester\u2019s James Druckman helps lead sweeping 50-state study on public attitudes toward universities.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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