Poll: Higher ed headed in wrong direction

Budget cuts have had injurious effects, respondents say

This article was published on 11.24.11

As the protests at UC Davis and UC Berkeley in recent weeks have shown, young people on California campuses are angry. They’ve watched tuition and fees skyrocket, have been forced to take out burdensome loans, and know the job market sucks. But how does the public at large rate the state’s public higher-education system? Here are some of the results of a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll:

The system is headed in the wrong direction: 60%

Affordability is a big problem: 61%

There isn’t enough state funding: 74%

The system has been affected “a lot” by budget cuts: 65%

Further cuts will hurt the quality of education: 63%

Students must borrow too much money: 75%

I’m willing to pay higher taxes to maintain current funding: 45%

Source: Public Policy Institute of California (www.ppic.org)