There's a lot to learn about the attitudes and perspectives that Americans have toward higher education. A national WGBH News poll has explored how Americans feel on a variety of issues, ranging from whether colleges should factor race into the admissions process to if they adequately protect students from sexual assault on campus. The man behind the poll is Seth Brohinsky, project director with Abt Associates in Cambridge. WGBH's Morning Edition anchor Joe Mathieu spoke with Brohinsky about the poll's results. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.
Joe Mathieu: First of all, tell us how many people took part in this poll. You had a pretty large sample.
Seth Brohinsky: Yeah. So we conducted telephone interviews with 1,002 Americans nationwide from Aug. 21-25. Interviews were done on both landline and cell phones, and we administered the survey in both English and Spanish at our in-house call centers.
Matheiu: So a large national sample here, and part of the data reveal what Americans think about the value of college. And I'm fascinated by this, because it's part of the kitchen table conversation, and certainly in a town like this with so many colleges — is it worth it to go to college? What did you learn?
Brohinsky: Two-thirds of Americans believe it's still worth it to attend college. We did find that 55 percent, a majority of Americans, think college is not necessary. Here, generational gaps exist reflecting the reality of the high cost of tuition and the increasing student debt younger Americans face. So, only four in 10 Americans under the age of 40 believe college is worth attending, compared to seven in 10 over the age of 40. Those under 40 overwhelmingly feel college is not necessary to get ahead in life.
Matheiu: How do you have those two results at the same time — it's worth it, but you don't need it ... is that the message?
Brohinsky: Yeah. So one is a value consideration: cost versus benefit. And the other is a necessity. Is it necessary? So you can say look —
Mathieu: — I can still find a job, I can still get through my life somehow ... even though it would be nice to go to college.
Brohinsky: Exactly. A college degree isn't necessary everywhere in the United States and certain industries as well, as you look at a lot of the tech sector, with people not graduating from college and having successful lives. It also is a statement on how colleges educate. So it's a reflection on our kids learning the things they need to succeed in life, and a lot of people are saying it's not necessary. It's not absolutely necessary to get ahead.
Mathieu: So the other question that really caught my attention and it's the other one we hear so much about: are we a bunch of elitists around here? I remember having a summer job at one point. I was working in the shipping department of this factory and my nickname was "college boy." And there's a stigma that comes with that with a certain element of Americans. What did you learn?
Brohinsky: There are. I mean, so a clear majority feel college graduates are not elitist — nearly 60 percent of Americans say that. However, when we asked about Ivy League graduates, a majority — 57 percent — said that yes, in fact, Ivy League graduates are elitist.
Mathieu: So it depends on where you go to college.
Brohinsky: Exactly, exactly. And maybe this is sort of a stigma. I don't know how many people actually know a person who went to an Ivy League school. So I think there is a perception in people's minds rather than the actual reality.
Mathieu: Just the image of Harvard and Yale that we think we know, but maybe don't know in this case. What's the big takeaway, if there is an umbrella takeaway?
Brohinsky: So, to me, Americans largely have positive views of colleges and universities across the country. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans have favorable views generally. That number grows to more than three-quarters who believe colleges have a positive impact on society generally. And more than eight in 10 believe that colleges and universities have a positive impact on their local community. As I've said before, it's tough to get 80 percent of Americans to agree on anything, so that number is pretty surprising.
The full results from our national higher education survey can be found here.
Our higher education reports are a collaboration with The Forum for the Future of Higher Education and made possible with support from Lumina Foundation and the Davis Educational Foundation.
