The Value of Higher Education: An Unexpected Partisan Agreement

Title: Varying Degrees 2025: Americans Find Common Ground in Higher Education

Authors: Sophie Nguyen, Olivia Sawyer, Olivia Cheche

Source: New America

New America’s ninth annual survey on higher education in America found that despite the politicization and polarization of higher education, Americans are united in their understanding of the importance and value of a college degree.

Varying Degrees 2025: Americans Find Common Ground in Higher Education report found more agreements than differences between Democrats and Republicans.

Key report findings include:

• Nine out of ten Americans believe colleges are responsible for equipping students for career success. Americans widely agree colleges are also responsible for bolstering a student’s writing and communication skills.
• While about 40 percent of Americans believe the state of education is fine how it is, there are partisan differences across those who report seeing positive effects. Nearly three-fourths (74 percent) of Democrats see positive effects of higher education, in contrast with only 39 percent of Republicans.
• Seventy-three percent of Americans believe college is worth the investment and needed to be successful in life. However, this belief in return on investment changes greatly depending on the type of college discussed. Many Americans think highly of community colleges, a majority think public colleges and universities are worth the investment, and significantly less believe in the cost of private colleges – especially private for-profit institutions. Regardless of degree type, two in three Americans believe it is easier to find a well-paying job with some college education.
• Half of Americans surveyed believe college is unaffordable. The report finds that both Democrats and Republicans believe the cost of college is a major issue. Both parties identify the cost of college as one of the main reasons students choose not to enroll in postsecondary education.
• Over 70 percent of Americans believe the government should invest more tax dollars on postsecondary education. Although there is a larger partisan divide on this belief – most Democrats (91 percent) and Republicans (58 percent) agree in the federal government’s responsibility to make higher education more affordable.

Varying Degrees 2025 concludes that despite unprecedented legislation effecting higher education, targeted attacks on institutions of higher education from the White House, and media polarization of postsecondary education – Americans largely believe in the value of a college education.

Read the full report here.

—Harper Davis