Illinois residents on both sides of the political aisle strongly support increasing state funding for public colleges and universities, according to a new study released Monday by the nonpartisan research group Public Agenda.
Public Agenda President Andrew Seligsohn said the survey results show a stark disconnect between the views of the general public on secondary education and those of the Trump administration, which has been cutting funding from colleges and universities that it believes are too liberal.
“‘Most people do not look at universities and ask, ‘Are they too ideological in this way, or are they doing too much of this kind of teaching?’’’ Seligsohn said. “They’re asking the question: ‘Will pursuing a degree advance my interests? Will it help move my family forward? Will it give me a leg up in employment and in opportunities to live the kind of life I’d like to?’”
The results are based on a survey of 2,062 Illinois adults aged 18 or older conducted in January.
The poll found that roughly half of Illinois residents don’t have any college credentials. Many respondents said they wanted to pursue a degree after high school but couldn’t afford to, or thought that their best option was to enter the workforce straight after high school. Almost 3 in 4 of those surveyed who don’t have a degree said that not earning one has negatively impacted their lives, with many citing limited career opportunities. Black and Latino residents reported more often than white residents that they don’t think they can afford to earn a degree.
More than 90% of respondents said that lower tuition, more scholarships and more course offerings that provide practical job skills would make higher education a better investment.
Although there is cross-partisan support for a more accessible and affordable public higher education system, the polling showed people are split on how it should be funded.
“The primary area where we saw disagreement along party lines was in whether property taxes should be used as a primary way to increase funding for colleges,” Seligsohn said. “Democrats were more supportive of that. Republicans less so.”
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Despite that, Seligsohn said, most Democrats, Republicans and independents support prioritizing funding to colleges and universities that enroll large numbers of low-income students, rural students, first-generation students and racial and ethnic minorities.
“There’s a real cross-partisan commitment in the state to providing educational opportunities for groups that have not historically had them,” Seligsohn said. “I think that’s counter to what you might imagine would be true based on national press coverage of the level of divisiveness in the country.”
The poll had a margin of error of 3% and was conducted by the polling firm Ipsos.