Americans’ confidence in higher education slipped this year, with the steepest decline coming from Democrats, according to the latest Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey.
The pool of Americans with a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in postsecondary education is 38%, down from 42% in 2025. A nearly equal share of survey respondents have “some” confidence, while a quarter have “very little” or “none.”
This year’s survey marked the first dip in public confidence in higher education since 2023. A few factors explain the decline.
- Democrat confidence waned: Half of all Democrat respondents were confident in higher education, down from 61% last year. While the 11-point drop was the sharpest among political parties, they remain more confident than independents (39%) and Republicans (23%).
- Harmful narratives persist: Perceived political agendas on campus, high costs and lack of workforce preparation were the most prominent criticisms of the sector.
- Confidence in bachelor’s degree slips: Over the past three years, confidence in higher education among bachelor’s degree holders has fallen well below the level reported by those with postgraduate degrees. Today, confidence among bachelor’s degree holders is nearly indistinguishable from that of Americans with no college degree.
- AI affects the value of the degree: Only 2% of Americans today attribute AI’s effect on education to their lack of confidence in the sector. However, nearly half of all respondents (46%) predict that the technology will make college degrees less important. That’s more than double the share who believe degrees will become more essential. Respondents’ outlook on the college degree’s future value varied largely by their overall confidence in higher education.
With concerns about higher education’s ability to prepare students for the workforce already weighing on public opinion, college education leaders must contend with AI’s potential to disrupt the job market.
“The challenge for higher education is whether it can adapt its instruction to set students up for success in the future workplace,” the report concludes.
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