Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (NCPPHE) recently issued their report entitled Squeeze Play 2009: The Public’s Views on College Costs Today. Given the state of the economy, Public Agenda and the NCPPHE decided to conduct a survey in December 2008 that they had conducted two years previously for their Squeeze Play 2007 report.
There were a couple of significant findings in this study. For example, more Americans than ever believe that obtaining a college degree is the only way to succeed in America. From a low of three out of ten Americans agreeing with that statement in 2000, the number has almost doubled to fifty-five percent, up twenty-four percent in only eight years. In previous studies, people cited Bill Gates as an example of why you didn’t need a college degree to succeed, but this year’s survey has tipped the balance toward a majority believing that college degrees are a necessity.
The survey also examined Americans’ attitudes toward the availability of higher education. In this year’s survey, sixty-seven percent of Americans believe that a college education is out of reach for most citizens. Thus, as more Americans believe that a college education is necessary, more Americans also believe that the opportunity to attend college is more difficult.
According to the report’s authors, Americans are right when they state that the opportunity to attend college is more difficult. They cite the data presented in the Measuring Up 2008 report (which they also authored and which I reported on in a previous blog article) which states that since 2000, college tuition and fees have increased at a rate higher than the average family income. In this survey, sixty-seven percent of adults believe that students have to borrow too much money to attend college.
The report also shows a growing skepticism by Americans about how well colleges and universities use the money that they have. Forty-eight percent believe that their state’s public colleges and universities need an overhaul. Interestingly, though, the percentage of respondents who believe that colleges and universities could spend less and still maintain a high level of education is fifty-three percent. The authors report that the public’s attitudes could influence the continued focus of Congress and regulators on more transparency and accountability in higher education.
I continue to be amazed at the contrast between the reports that cite these concerns by Americans about the affordability and access to higher education and the attitudes of higher education associations. For the most part, the associations state that higher education needs more money to expand access. There are many types of higher education institutions. Some are able to charge a high enough tuition so that fiscal concerns are not issues for them. Some have become adept at passing on to the students and their families increased costs due to student center construction, etc., items that are arguably not necessary for a better education. Maybe these institutions should look at the models that provide expanded access for less money and find out how they work.
