[ti:Is College Worth It?]
[al:Education Report]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-07-17]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]A new study says that Americans have increasing questions about the value and cost of a college education.
[00:10.63]Most of the people taking part in the study felt that higher education in the U.S. is headed in the "wrong direction."
[00:22.23]Gallup and the Lumina Foundation carried out the study. 
[00:27.25]It found that only 36 percent of adults said they had a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in higher education.
[00:40.90]That confidence level has decreased steadily from 57 percent in 2015. 
[00:50.12]That was the first year in which Gallup measured confidence in higher education.
[00:58.53]The decline is seen in all subgroups of people including sex, age, and political ties. 
[01:08.04]Among Republican Party members in the study, the number of people with high confidence in higher education has dropped 36 percentage points over the last 10 years. 
[01:23.47]That is far more than for Democratic Party members or independents.
[01:31.10]Some of the opinions in the study might show concerns about the high cost of college and how race and other subjects are taught.
[01:43.68]Fifty-nine-year-old Randy Hill is a registered Republican in Connecticut and a driver for a car service. 
[01:54.11]He told the Associated Press, "It's so expensive, and I don't think colleges are teaching people what they need to get a job."
[02:05.40]Hill said his nephew plans to do a welding apprenticeship after high school instead of going to college.
[02:15.25]The June 2024 study found that 36 percent of adults feel strong confidence in higher education. 
[02:25.80]That percentage is unchanged from the year before.
[02:31.43]But the researchers said they were concerned that fewer Americans were saying that they had "some" confidence, and more were reporting "very little" or "none."
[02:47.94]This year's findings show almost as many people have little or no confidence, 32 percent, as those with high confidence.
[03:01.53]Experts say that fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages in fields from health care to information technology. 
[03:14.10]For those who do not go to college, it often means lower lifetime earnings.
[03:22.09]Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce said lifetime earnings for those without a bachelor's degree could be 75 percent less than for those with a degree.
[03:39.84]The center also said that during an economic downturn, those without college degrees are more likely to lose their jobs.
[03:52.72]Courtney Brown is a vice president at Lumina, an education nonprofit group. 
[03:59.43]It aims to increase the number of students who seek education beyond high school. 
[04:07.32]She said, "What's shocking to me is that the people who have low or no confidence is actually increasing."
[04:17.17]This year's study added new, detailed questions in an effort to understand why confidence is shrinking.
[04:27.26]Almost one-third of people in the study said college is "too expensive." 
[04:34.99]About 25 percent thought students are not getting the right education or taught what they need to succeed.
[04:45.72]The study did not ask about the protests against the war in Gaza this year that divided many college communities. 
[04:56.79]But people who took part said they had concerns about indoctrination, political bias, and that colleges are too liberal.
[05:10.39]Among those who said they lack confidence in college, 41 percent said political activity was a reason.
[05:21.79]Sixty-seven percent of adults in the study said colleges are headed in the "wrong direction." 
[05:29.66]That is more than two times higher than the 31 percent who think that colleges are going in the right direction.
[05:39.37]Gallup noted that when people express confidence in higher education, they are thinking of four-year colleges.
[05:50.16]But the study found that more people have confidence in two-year community colleges.
[05:58.59]Forty-nine percent of adults said they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in two-year programs, compared with 33 percent of Americans who feel that way about four-year colleges.
[06:18.48]California college student Kristen Freeman said she understands why.
[06:25.36]"It's about saving money. That's why I went to a two-year. It's more bang for your buck," said Freeman who is a 22-year-old sociology major at Diablo Valley Community College. 
[06:44.08]She plans to go to San Jose State University for the final two years of college.
[06:52.22]Freeman said she understands the concerns about indoctrination and whether college prepares students for life and work. 
[07:04.98]But she feels the only way to change structural problems is from the inside.
[07:12.37]"I am learning about the world around me and developing useful skills in critical thinking," Freeman said.
[07:21.70]"I think higher education can give students the spark to want to change the system."
[07:30.49]I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
[07:33.19]And I'm Anna Matteo.