Americans’ perception of a college education hits all-time low
Image: Scott Eisen
A college education was once widely seen by Americans as the golden ticket to success. But it’s now starting to look more like a scratch-off with bad odds, according to new Gallup polling that found the perceived importance of a college degree has fallen to a new record low.
By the numbers: Gallup found just 35% of US adults currently rate college education as “very important,” continuing a 15-year-long trend of Americans placing less importance on its value.
- When last asked this question in 2019, 53% of US adults said a college education was very important—down from 70% in 2013, and 75% in 2010.
- On the flip side, the percentage of Americans who view college as “not too important” has risen from 4% in 2010 to 24% in Gallup’s most recent survey.
Declines in the perceived importance of college have been seen across all major demographic categories. And even among pro-college groups like Democrats or college graduates, less than half of their members currently say college is very important.
Driving the move: While Gallup’s new survey didn’t directly explore the reasons behind the widespread decline in a college education’s perceived value, researchers proposed several possible explanations:
- Increasingly high costs associated with college
- Recent attention to the benefits of trade schools
- The growth of online learning and micro-credentials
- AI’s potential to cause revolutionary changes in the labor market (where new grads are already seeing higher unemployment rates)
However, other data highlights the value of a college degree
The median income for a US household led by someone with at least a bachelor's degree stood at $132,700 last year—more than double the median income of a household led by a high-school grad ($58,410), according to Census data published last week.
That gap has only widened over the past two decades, with earnings for college-led households rising by 6.3% compared to 3.2% for households of high school graduates.
But…Many Americans have attained financial success without a college degree—just ask Larry Ellison, who briefly became the world’s richest person last week. Recent shortages among blue-collar workers have also shown that trades represent a strong alternative career path to attaining a college degree.
📊 Flash poll: In your opinion, how important is a college education today: very important, fairly important, or not too important?
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that not everyone needs to go to college, but turning away from traditional learning, especially in high school, poses a threat to the intellectual depth necessary for whatever paths we choose in life.
- Others contend that current challenges facing universities—primarily unaffordability and falling enrollment—diminish the value of postsecondary education, and must be addressed if the US wants to achieve a robust, inclusive workforce.
- “If you’re rethinking going to college, think again” –Jay Mathews, LA Times
- “Students need more educational choices after high school” –Cindy Cisneros, Hechinger Report
- “Does College Still Have a Purpose in the Age of ChatGPT?” –Bloomberg Editorial Board
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that for far too long, most industries and job markets have adopted an overly simplistic yet outdated mode that people with college degrees are always better, regardless of whether the education actually prepares young people for their chosen field.
- Others contend that postsecondary education programs have been focused on too many aspects not related to student success, and that students deserve programs that lead to meaningful, high-wage employment while taxpayers deserve accountability for the billions they invest each year.
- “Why a college degree is a good thing — but not the only thing” –Mikkel Eriksen,
- Tor Hermansen, and Colette Weintraub, NY Post
- “How postsecondary opportunities for students are changing for the better” –Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R)
- “The renaissance that American universities need” –Utah state Sen. John Johnson (R)
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