Gallup: Americans’ Confidence In Higher Education Falls To 38% As AI Doubts Grow
Americans’ confidence in higher education has fallen to 38% this year, from 42% in 2025, according to a new Trust in Higher Education Survey Lumina-Gallup Foundation. The decline wipes out most of the modest recovery colleges saw last year.
The survey, conducted in June 2026, found that 38% of US adults have a “great deal” or “fairly high” confidence in higher education, 37% have “some” and 25% have “very little” or none. When Gallup first asked the question in 2015, 57% of Americans expressed strong confidence.
The numbers
This year’s decline came almost entirely from Democrats. Just 50 percent of Democrats now express confidence in higher education, a new low for the group and down from 61 percent last year. Republicans (23%) and independents (39%) held roughly steady.
Long-term erosion tells a different story. Since 2015, trust has fallen by 33% among Republicans, 18% among Democrats and 9% among independents.
Education level is also important, but not as much as you might expect. Postgraduates (49%) drive almost all the advantages of graduates. Americans with only a bachelor’s degree (36%) are now about as skeptical as those without a degree (35%).
Why trust in the higher edition is falling
Among Americans who distrust higher education, three reasons dominate: perceived political agendas on campus (31%), the high cost of college (30%), and colleges fail to prepare students for the workforce (25%).
Mentions of costs rose from last year, while complaints about policy and workforce preparation declined. Lower stocks pointed to mismanagement, poor quality of education and the Trump administration’s interference in higher education (8% each). for the first time, artificial intelligence emerged as a reason, cited by 2% of respondents.
On the other hand, Americans who remain confident in credit colleges by training students in critical thinking (33%), making them informed and knowledgeable (30%) and opening up better job opportunities (19%).
The question of artificial intelligence
A new question this year asked whether artificial intelligence will change the value of a college degree in the next five years. The verdict was pessimistic: 46% expect degrees to become less important, more than double the 20% who expect them to become more important. Another 33% do not expect a change.
Skepticism is deepest among those already in higher education. Of Americans who distrust colleges, 64% believe AI will make degrees less important.
The public’s instinct is not unfounded. A Stanford study finds software startup jobs down nearly 20% as artificial intelligence reshapes graduate employment, and more students are choosing work over college as AI rewrites career plans for enrollees.
How does this connect
Public perception and financial reality are moving in different directions. The College Board The Education Pays 2026 report confirms that a bachelor’s degree still provides a significant earnings premium above a high school diploma. And on New America A Varing Degrees survey found that about 75% of Americans still consider college a good investmenteven as satisfaction with the institution itself declines. A special study revealed 90% of graduates had a good experience, but only 70% said their degree was worth it.
Concerns about costs are also based on real numbers: Americans owe over $1.8 trillion student loan debtand an analysis projects it class of 2026 will borrow $43,500 for a degree. For families weighing the decision, the question is less about trust in institutions and more about is college worth it — a math problem you can work on college ROI calculator.
The pattern is consistent: Americans still trust the degree more than the institutions that grant it.
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