Democrats Are Falling Out of Love With Higher Ed

For years, higher education could count on Democrats to be in its corner. But that confidence is beginning to crack. A recent Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey found that the share of Democrats expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education fell from 61% in 2025 to 50% in 2026. 

Democrats still have more confidence in higher education than Republicans or independents, but an 11-point drop is pretty substantial. The decline comes as Americans question the cost of college, the skills students are learning, and whether degrees are preparing graduates for the workforce.

Republicans have been skeptical of higher education for much longer, but Democrats have traditionally been its biggest supporters. If even Democrats are growing skeptical, what exactly is driving that change?

Distrust in higher education, it seems, is no longer a Republican concern. Just 38% of Americans expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in higher education, and even college graduates are hardly big fans: only 43% expressed high confidence.

Americans, not just Democrats, seem to be more skeptical regarding higher education. Among Americans who lack confidence in higher education, 31% pointed to political agendas, 30% cited cost, and 25% said colleges are not adequately preparing students for the workforce. 

I do not believe Americans are necessarily questioning whether education itself is valuable. They seem to be questioning whether today’s colleges are delivering enough for the time, money and trust students place in them.

The numbers are surprising among former students who’ve already earned a bachelor’s degree. Only 36% of Americans with a bachelor’s degree but no postgraduate education expressed high confidence in higher education. So, a four-year degree does not automatically leave someone convinced that the system behind it is doing a good job. 

For this reason, universities should emphasize enrollment numbers and graduation rates less and start focusing on graduates’ satisfaction with their education. Many students may finish their degrees only to enter a workforce with fewer employment opportunities amid rising inflation. 

North Carolina, to its credit, is already trying to address some of these concerns. The UNC System has made workforce preparation a bigger part of its approach to higher education, including efforts to connect degree programs with the needs of North Carolina employers. A 2026 UNC System workforce report found that North Carolina is expected to add about 260,000 new jobs by 2034 and will need an additional 5,000 to 10,000 college graduates each year to meet employer demand.

Students are increasingly weighing whether a four-year degree will lead to a job that justifies its cost. Some students are turning to trade schools, community colleges and other avenues of education. 

Improving graduation rates is important, but what matters even more is producing well-educated graduates who are prepared to find a job and succeed in the workforce. Workforce skills are changing, especially as we enter the age of AI. Universities need to make sure their teaching is keeping pace with those changes and giving students the skills they need to succeed in a changing workforce.

In other words, colleges need to show that having a degree will help students make more money than they would without one. In the past, that was almost a given, but as college costs rise and the workforce changes, that advantage is becoming less clear. And Democrats are noticing too.

Regardless, beyond dollars and cents, political agendas are another point of contention in higher education. With so much influence over the next generation, there is a lot at stake in how colleges shape students’ views of political issues and causes, something Democrats know well.

Nearly a third of Americans who lack confidence in higher education cited political agendas as a reason, suggesting that concerns about campus politics extend beyond the usual partisan divide. Universities can’t eliminate political disagreements from campus, but they can keep their focus on educating students while making room for open conversations and a range of political views.

Also worth considering is whether the change of presidential administration and the Republican majority in Washington are playing a role. Democrats may be viewing higher education differently as colleges face more scrutiny from Republicans. Indeed, 8% of Americans who lack confidence in higher education cited Trump administration interference as a reason, according to Gallup.

Higher education still has Democrats in its corner, but that support should not be taken for granted, especially since it seems to be slipping. The 11-point drop in Democratic confidence is a warning that political loyalty cannot make up for concerns about the direction of colleges themselves. 

Universities do not need to convince Democrats to love higher education. They need to give students and the public good reasons to trust it. If our great American universities are going to claim to be the best in the world, their graduates should be leaving campus ready to find jobs and build successful careers.

For North Carolina’s universities, that means showing that a college education can still be a worthwhile investment, one that prepares students for more than commencement day.

Reagan Allen is the North Carolina reporter for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.