Gallup: record-low 31% of Americans call a college education "very important"
A new Gallup poll finds 31% of Americans say a college education is "very important", the lowest since Gallup began asking in 1978 and down from 70% in 2013. The decline spans political and demographic groups.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 2A new Gallup poll found that 31% of Americans consider a college education "very important", the lowest share since Gallup began asking the question in 1978. New York PostR “That is the lowest the Gallup pollsters have recorded since they began asking the question in 1978” Read at New York Post ↗ BreitbartR “The polling group has found that only three in ten Americans now consider a college degree “very important” to attain.” Read at Breitbart ↗ Right · 2The figure compares with 70% who said so in 2013. New York PostR “marks a staggering drop from 2013, when seven in ten Americans (70%) said they believed attending university was essential” Read at New York Post ↗ BreitbartR “in 2013 when 70 percent of those polled felt college was important” Read at Breitbart ↗ Right · 1Breitbart reports that the share saying college is "not too important" rose from 6% in 2013 to 29%, and that this year's result is four percentage points lower than last year's. BreitbartR “in 2013 only six percent of respondents said a college education was “not too important.” Today that number has soared to 29 percent.”“Gallup also says the negativity is four percentage points lower than last year’s results.” Read at Breitbart ↗
Right · 1The New York Post notes the poll does not show an outright rejection of higher education: about 39% said college is "fairly important". New York PostR “around four in 10 people (39%) said they believe attending college is “fairly important.”” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Declines appeared across demographic and political groups. Democrats, Republicans and independents were all less likely than in 2019 to call college very important, though Democrats remained more likely than Republicans to do so: about 40% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans and 34% of independents. New York PostR “Around 40% of Democrats thought higher learning was very important, compared with just 22% of Republicans and 34% of independents.” Read at New York Post ↗ BreitbartR “Even groups that have historically placed greater importance on college have registered substantial declines.” Read at Breitbart ↗ Right · 1Gallup said majorities of women, middle-aged and older adults, Democrats, Black and Hispanic adults, and college graduates held the view in 2019. Most of these groups remain more likely than their counterparts to hold it, but each has registered a double-digit decline. BreitbartR “each has registered a double-digit decline” Read at Breitbart ↗
Right · 1The poll surveyed 1,200 US adults by phone from Aug. 3 to Aug. 24 and has a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 4%. New York PostR “Gallup surveyed 1,200 adults in the US by phone from Aug. 3 through Aug. 24 for the poll, which has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 4%.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Both outlets link the decline to cost, citing a separate Gallup survey in which only 12% of adults said a four-year degree is affordable. Breitbart says Gallup speculates cost is one explanation; the Post attributes the 12% figure to a Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey from June. New York PostR “Only 12% of adults said a four-year degree is affordable, a separate Lumina Foundation-Gallup survey from June showed.” Read at New York Post ↗ BreitbartR “One explanation for the steep decline since 2013 is the exorbitant costs of a college education, the group speculates.” Read at Breitbart ↗ Right · 2Other Gallup findings point in different directions. A July poll found 38% of Americans had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education, down from 42% a year earlier, yet 59% of parents said they want their child to go straight to a two- or four-year college after high school. BreitbartR “only 38 percent of Americans polled said they had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education as a whole” Read at Breitbart ↗ New York PostR “59% of parents said they want their child to go straight to a two- or four-year college after high school” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both right-leaning outlets lead with the record low. Breitbart frames it as a collapse of trust in higher education; the New York Post uses a school-grade metaphor but adds that the poll is not an outright rejection.
- Emphasis
- Breitbart stresses the long decline since 2013, rising 'not too important' responses and falling confidence in higher education. The Post stresses partisan splits, the 'fairly important' 39% and the survey method.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Breitbart omits the partisan breakdown, sample size and margin of error. The Post omits the 'not too important' rise and the July confidence figures. Neither includes comment from Gallup beyond the published results or from universities. No left or centre outlets are in this coverage.
- Charged language
- “craters”“crashed”“cratering”“plummeting”“soared”“exorbitant”“College is getting a big, fat “F.””“staggering drop”
- For example
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“has crashed to an all-time low, a new Gallup poll finds” — Breitbart
“College is getting a big, fat “F.”” — New York Post
What every side reports
- Gallup found 31% of Americans call a college education 'very important', a record low since 1978.
- In 2013 the figure was 70%.
- Only 12% of adults say a four-year degree is affordable, per a separate Gallup survey.
- Most parents still want their children to go to college after high school.
Gallup organisation
Gallup says Americans have increasingly questioned the importance of college over 13 years, with the decline spanning major demographic groups. It points to cost as a possible factor.
“Americans have increasingly questioned the importance of a college education over the past 13 years.” — Breitbart
“One explanation for the steep decline since 2013 is the exorbitant costs of a college education, the group speculates.” — Breitbart
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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American Support for College Education Craters to Record Low
Alarmist Presents the poll as a dramatic collapse in trust in higher education, with the cost explanation and falling confidence figures.
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Record-low number of Americans believe college is ‘very important’: poll
Mixed Presents the record low with a punchy 'F' grade metaphor, but adds that most still see college as at least fairly important and gives partisan and method detail.
- 4 Oct 17:08 First BreitbartR American Support for College Education Craters to Record Low
- 4 Oct 19:38 +2h 30m New York PostR Record-low number of Americans believe college is ‘very important’: poll
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.