Public Religion Research Institute:
Americans are slightly more likely to say that a college education is a risky gamble that might not pay off (51%) than to say a college education is a smart investment in the future (47%). The view that a college education is a smart investment has dropped since 2016, reaching a low of 42% in 2022 but slightly increasing to 47% in 2024. Both Republicans and Democrats are now less likely to say college is a smart investment, but Republicans are significantly more likely to do so, down from 52% in 2016 to 39% in 2024. Among Democrats, agreement decreased slightly from 66% in 2016 to 62% in 2024. Notably, the partisan gap on the value of a college education has grown from 14 percentage points in 2016 to 23 percentage points in 2024.
Americans who most trust mainstream TV news sources (60%) are significantly more likely than those who most trust Fox News (43%) and those who do not watch TV news (37%) to say that college is a smart investment. Americans who most trust conservative news sources (25%) are the group least likely to say that college is a smart investment.
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Two-thirds of Americans say that the college education system broadens the worldview of young people (67%) rather than radicalizes them (30%), yet party differences are stark: Democrats (90%) are significantly more likely than independents (67%) and Republicans (46%) to say that college broadens the worldview of young people. Black Americans (80%) are more likely than Hispanic (72%), multiracial (64%), and white Americans (62%) to say the college education system broadens the worldview of young people but are not significantly different from the AAPI community (74%). Gen Zers (73%) are more likely than Gen Xers (65%), baby boomers (63%), and the Silent Generation (63%) to say that the college education system broadens the views of young people but are not significantly different from millennials (68%).