Washington
A majority of Americans believe that colleges provide high-quality programs and support important scholarly research, but many overestimate the cost of tuition, think that most institutions overemphasize intercollegiate athletics, and say they seldom hear from college presidents about important issues, according to a report of a survey being released today.
The study by the American Council on Education, “Taking Stock: How Americans Judge Quality, Affordability and Leadership at U.S. Colleges and Universities,” follows a public-perception survey conducted by the council two years ago, in which it quizzed Americans about college affordability and found that many people overestimated actual tuition prices. (See an article from The Chronicle, May 29, 1998.)
In the new survey of 850 Americans between the ages of 21 and 65, that “knowledge gap” actually increased, with respondents guessing the cost of tuition at public four-year colleges to be $10,449 -- roughly $7,000, or 212 percent, more than the actual price. Americans were furthest off about the cost of attending public two-year colleges, estimating tuition and fees to be $6,497, nearly four times the actual average tuition of $1,627. Respondents came closest to gauging the cost of private four-year institutions, with an average estimate of $19,306, compared with the actual price tag of $15,380.
An overwhelming majority of respondents -- some 90 percent -- claimed to know “a lot” or “a good amount” about the cost of a college education. And fewer of them were concerned about college costs than when ACE asked the question two years ago. Thirty-two percent of respondents said they worried “a little,” while 54 percent worried “a lot” about the cost of college; two years ago, 25 percent said they worried “a little” and 65 percent worried “a lot.”
“In other words, while the overwhelming majority of the public is still worried about the issue,” said the report’s authors, the intensity of the feelings “has diminished.”
Still, most Americans -- 60 percent -- do not believe that colleges try to keep tuition at an affordable level for families like theirs, even though the rate of tuition increase has slowed in recent years.
Respondents also guessed wrong on the cost of online education. Forty-five percent of Americans think Internet courses are cheaper than traditional ones. As far as quality is concerned, 43 percent think distance-learning courses do not measure up to those offered in person. And 83 percent would prefer that their children take traditional courses, as opposed to Internet-based courses. Yet when asked about their own education, 20 percent of respondents said that they would take an Internet course. “It is likely that this attitude stems from the perceived lower quality” of distance education, the report states. “Public attitudes suggest that more work needs to be done if we are to facilitate the expansion of access to distance education.” Americans had mixed opinions about leaders in higher education. Fifty-seven percent of respondents had a favorable opinion of college and university presidents, although 65 per cent said they seldom or never hear about them. Further, most Americans -- 57 per cent -- said college presidents are more concerned about their institutions than they are about students and the best interest of the public.
A majority of the respondents also said that colleges should play an active role in their communities, tutoring elementary-school students, for example, or making college facilities available to the public. Ninety-five percent of respondents said such activities are extremely or somewhat important.
“Indeed, active engagement seems to be the norm,” the report states. “The public simply expects it.” Americans were skeptical about one major public activity of colleges -- their intercollegiate sports programs. More than half -- 56 percent -- of Americans said sports are overemphasized on most college campuses. Thirty-six percent of respondents said the emphasis is just right, while 5 percent said colleges put too little emphasis on college sports. Among the report’s other findings:
- Seventy-five percent of respondents said they approve of the federal government’s using tax dollars to support scientific research at universities, and about 37 percent said federal support of university research should be increased.
- Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they believe that college campuses are safe places for students to live and study.
- When asked whether the federal government makes “a lot” of financial aid available to families, 23 percent of respondents strongly agreed, and 45 percent agreed somewhat.