Survey: Republican Voters Disagree with Their Elected Leaders on Higher Ed
Credit: adamkaz / Getty Images- A survey of Republican voters shows that 63% say a four-year degree is valuable.
- Trade schools and community colleges are viewed most favorably by Republicans, while for-profit schools had the highest “unfavorable” rating among institution types in the survey.
- The vast majority of Republicans support Pell Grants and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
- Republican respondents want more accountability in higher education by the federal government and support policies that make it more affordable.
Recently released survey data shows what Republican voters think about higher education, and the results don’t exactly match the rhetoric of the politicians they put in office.
Not only do Republican voters like higher education, but they also prefer less invasive reforms and broadly support policies that make it more affordable, according to a new survey by think tank Third Way and Republican polling firm GS Strategy Group.
Of the 500 Republican voters surveyed in February, 63% find a four-year degree to be “valuable.” Of all institution types, they view trade schools and community colleges most favorably:
- 91% view trade schools favorably.
- 87% view community colleges favorably.
- 69% view four-year colleges and universities favorably.
- 37% view for-profits favorably.
Notably, 34% view for-profit colleges unfavorably — the highest “unfavorable” rating of each institution type.
The survey results seem to show a disconnect between Republican politicians and voters when it comes to plans for student loan programs and other education policies:
- 79% of respondents support income-driven repayments for loans.
- 69% support borrower defense to repayment.
- 62% prefer increased accountability for institutions over across-the-board cuts.
Meanwhile, 81% of Republicans support Pell Grants — as the program faces a $2.7 billion deficit — and 79% support Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). President Donald Trump just signed an executive order limiting which nonprofit organizations benefit from the PSLF program.
“Despite frustrations with the system, Republican voters have not abandoned higher education,” according to the report. “They do not view colleges and universities as an enemy, and they believe in the value of a degree.”
That being said, the Republican survey respondents do want to see policies that hold colleges and universities more accountable. Eighty-three percent of Republicans support the Financial Value Transparency rule, which is intended to provide more data about student debt, financial aid, and program completion.
Increased accountability is important to Republicans, with 87% saying more accountability over higher education is needed.
Over 70% of respondents say the federal government should continue to play a role in higher education by requiring transparency from institutions based on their value to students. Additionally, 71% say the federal government must provide guardrails against programs that charge students for worthless degrees that won’t land them a job.
Seventy-nine percent of the Republican respondents support accreditors considering student outcomes when reviewing institutions, including graduation rates, loan repayment rates, and post-college employment.
Already, one upstart accrediting agency is considering students’ return on investment in its reviews of schools.
Disconnect Between Voters and the Administration
In the survey, Republicans’ views on higher education can be seen as a vote of confidence in the industry as a whole, separating the need for postsecondary learning from more fringe cultural issues, such as transgender athletes, Critical Race Theory, and college protests.
Additional research has found parity among political parties for certain education policies, such as easing transfer processes.
While the Trump administration has floated demolishing the Department of Education — and the staff is smaller now — most Americans find value in what the department offers, according to research by think tank New America.
According to a nationally representative February survey conducted by New America, 55% of American adults oppose eliminating the Department of Education (ED), and only 26% were in favor of eliminating it. The percentage of those interested in eliminating ED were highest among Republicans (51%), and lowest among Democrats (4%).
The survey also found that 62% of American adults in the survey oppose moving the responsibility of distributing and overseeing student financial aid to another federal agency. Forty-three percent of Republicans and 89% of Democrats oppose moving federal aid to another agency’s oversight.
Furthermore, Kevin Carey, vice president of education and work and director of the Education Policy program at New America, and Sophie Nguyen, senior policy manager with the higher education team at New America, posit that Americans haven’t necessarily lost trust in higher education.
They argue that Americans have lost trust in institutions as a whole and had their feelings driven by politics. Enrollment declines are related to other factors.
Analysis shows Republican states receive the highest portion of financial support from ED.