‘ The veil is being pulled up,’ scientist says ,
Current national surveys commissioned by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression show that Americans ‘ confidence in higher education institutions are still at new highs.
The elections, one conducted in February with a follow- up in May, asked a specimen of British families:” How much assurance, if any, do you have in U. S. colleges and universities”? The outcomes were finally compared to a Gallup poll that asked the same question in 2023.
” On average, most Americans surveyed in FIRE’s May poll reported’ some’ confidence in U. S. colleges and universities ( 42 % vs. 40 % in Gallup )”, the foundation reported.
” But compared to the 2023 Gallup poll, fewer Americans reported’ a great deal’ or’ quite a lot’ of confidence in colleges and universities ( 28 % vs. 36 % in Gallup ), and more Americans reported’ very little’ confidence or ‘ none at all’ ( 30 % vs. 22 % in Gallup )”.
The findings show a significant drop in federal confidence since the 2023 Gallup surveys, as well as a particularly significant reduction in young people between the ages of 18 and 34, Democrats, and women, according to FIRE researcher Nathan Honeycutt’s report in a news release.
Additionally, the decline in trust from FIRE’s February to May polls demonstrates how the unrest and pro-Palestine protests that have swept campuses in recent months have further eroded higher health’s reputation.
Honeycutt claimed that the latest headlines about academic dishonesty, such as the plagiarism allegations lodged at some top-level campus leaders over the past seven months, may also account for the decline.
Another potential factors that FIRE has cited include bias against center-right beliefs, rising tuition costs, and operational clutter.
But the key issue, Honeycutt said via email to The Fix, is good the way organizations have handled problems related to the Israel- Arab issue, adding “it goes in both directions”.
More traditional Americans are seeing their concerns about higher education as evidenced by what they see. But also, more liberal Americans are seeing protesters on these campuses get punished and arrested, and they’re seeing legitimate and protected speech get shut down, and this is also of concern”, he said.
” Now, much of what was going on with the encampments was n’t protected speech—vandalism, occupying buildings —and FIRE was vocal about this. However, Honeycutt said that FIRE was also vocal about the suppression of protected speech.
When asked to comment on the results of the polls, Thomas More College’s dean of students said he believes that both students and the institutions they attend have in some ways lost sight of the true purpose of higher education.
According to Taylor, there is too little emphasis on the truth and too much on the practical side of education, which has resulted in a general dissatisfaction with the overall worth of education.
” So when confronted with these polls today”, Taylor told The Fix via email,” the question we should be asking is: Confidence in what? In other words, what are colleges claiming to offer, and what are students hoping to achieve”?
” I suspect that students are just realizing that, if it’s just an economic decision, it’s not worth it anymore”.
” My hope is that this crisis of confidence will prompt students to reevaluate what it is they are truly seeking from both an education and life overall,” Taylor said. What does it matter if you lose your soul before landing a high-paying job at a tech startup?
” There are still colleges that propose the open and honest pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty, and there are still students that seek this type of education. There is hope for the future as long as this is the case.
Honeycutt hoped that universities would eventually notice the writing on the wall.
” Colleges and universities are in a tough spot, hopefully they’ll be highly motivated to correct course internally on their own, and quickly, before the window of opportunity disappears. The more difficult it will be to bounce back from, the less confidence it has, he told The Fix.
With all the mainstream media coverage of what’s happening on campuses lately, Honeycutt continued,” I think more and more Americans are waking up to see how the curtain is being pulled back.
MORE: Punish students for anti- Israel encampments, 3 in 4 Americans say
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