Varying Degrees 2022: New America's sixth annual survey on higher education

1,517 Americans ages 18 and older were interviewed to better understand their perceptions of education after high school, including oversamples of Black, Latinx, and Asian Americans, and student loan borrowers. It provides important trend data to judge how attitudes about the value of education after high school, how it is funded, and how it should be held accountable have changed over the past six years, particularly since the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic.

Key findings from this year include: Americans continue to believe in the value of pursuing educational opportunities after high school; Education after high school continues to offer a good return on investment; Various higher education sectors contribute to a strong American workforce; Online education quality is seen as similar to in-person education, but it should cost less; Americans are split on whether someone can get a high-quality education after high school that is also affordable; Government must spend more money on higher education to make it affordable; Public colleges and universities are worth the investment; and Americans continue to strongly support holding colleges and universities accountable.

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