Democrats and Republicans Alike Still See Value in a Degree

Even as the public’s loss of faith in higher education dominates headlines amid campus protests, the rising cost of attendance, growing anti-DEI sentiment and more, it seems that most Americans still see value in a college degree. According to a survey of 1,500 U.S. voters conducted by Global Strategy Group and GS Strategy Group for Third Way, 80 percent of respondents still believe higher education has value, including 88 percent of Democrats and 75 percent of Republicans. The finding is a departure from recent reports about declining confidence in higher education, including a Gallup survey published in 2023 that showed that the percentage of Americans who felt highly confident in higher education had dipped significantly from previous years to a “historic low.”