According to a recent Gallup and Lumina Foundation survey, six out of ten parents hope their child will go to college.
At a time when the public is debating the worth of a college degree, the June study was released.
Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and strategy for the Lumina Foundation, which promotes universal access to post-secondary education, said, “We hear all this skepticism of higher education.” People don’t appreciate it, according to the narrative we hear.
According to a Gallup poll conducted only last month, Americans’ trust in higher education has been declining over the past ten years.
However, Brown stated that the outcomes of genuinely asking parents what they desire for their own children are remarkable. For the first time, Gallup has polled parents directly about their opinions on the subject.
In the end, it’s quite obvious that parents want their kids to graduate from college, Brown said.
According to Brown, parents’ main worries regarding higher education are usually related to the expense, whether it will lead to employment, and—more and more—if it would be politically charged.
This could be the reason why many of the parents who answered chose community institutions. Compared to four-year universities, community colleges typically have significantly cheaper sticker prices and place more of an emphasis on work certifications. Approximately one in five parents from a variety of backgrounds expressed a desire for their child to attend a community college.
However, there were also significant disparities in the poll between parents based on their political inclination and their own educational attainment.
The Republican Party has the most compelling arguments against higher education. “The responses reflect that,” Brown said.
Differences were more pronounced when it came to whether or not students should enroll in a four-year institution right out of high school; 58% of college graduates and 53% of Democrats said they would prefer to send their kids to a four-year institution right out of high school, while 27% of Republicans and 30% of parents without a college degree said the same.
Republicans are more likely than independents or those without a college degree to believe that their children should enter the workforce immediately or receive employment training or certification. Taking a break or enlisting in the military are further choices.
However, four-year colleges and universities are by far the most popular choice, with four out of ten parents wanting their child to attend one. This is a common topic in surveys pertaining to higher education.
Brown stated, “We see that people value four-year [degrees].” Despite their difficulties accessing it and their reservations about the system, we can tell that people really like it.
The study also gauged non-parents’ preferences. Respondents were asked to consider a youngster in their lives, such as a nephew, niece, grandchild, or family acquaintance who is younger than 18 and has not completed high school. Remarkably comparable responses were received: 55% of parents stated that they wanted their child to attend a two-year or four-year college, while 59% of parents said the same.
