More Americans Trust Public Universities Than Private Ones

Americans have considerably more confidence in public colleges and universities than private ones, according to a new survey by Vanderbilt University’s Project on Unity and American Democracy. While nearly half of respondents (46 percent) indicated they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in public institutions, only 30 percent reported the same for private institutions.

Fifteen percent of respondents expressed very little or no confidence in public colleges, and 26 percent had low levels of trust in private ones.

The survey included responses from 1,029 American adults and was conducted in the second week of June.

Despite the public’s declining confidence in institutions of higher education, 76 percent of Americans think a college education is very or somewhat important for success. Ninety percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Republicans and 72 percent of Independents agree that a college education is at least somewhat important.

By contrast, President Donald Trump’s handling of higher education drew divided reactions along party lines. Across the board, 61 percent of respondents said they disapprove of the way Trump has approached issues regarding colleges and universities. Among those who approve, 77 percent of Republicans, 28 percent of Independents and 8 percent of Democrats indicated support for Trump’s actions.

Similarly, a large share of Republicans (53 percent) said they approved of the Trump administration’s decision to monitor current and prospective international students’ social media accounts. But among all respondents, 33 percent said they were in favor of the tactic, while 40 percent were opposed.

Only one in five respondents said they think the president should have the authority to determine which colleges and universities can enroll foreign students.