Overview
- The Gallup–Lumina poll, conducted June 1–15 and published Tuesday, found 38% of U.S. adults have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education, down from 42% last year.
- Respondents who lack confidence most often cited perceived political agendas on campuses (31%), the high cost of college (30%), and poor preparation for the workforce (25%).
- Partisan confidence shifted this year as Democrats fell to a record low of 50% while Republicans remain near their long‑term low at 23%, reflecting widening political distrust over the past decade.
- For the first time the poll asked about artificial intelligence and 46% of Americans said AI will make college degrees less important over the next five years while 20% said it will make them more important.
- The data come from a random telephone sample of 1,001 adults (±3 points) and underscore a long decline since 2015 when 57% expressed strong confidence, creating pressure for clearer outcome data, employer ties and AI literacy without immediate large drops in enrollment.