WASHINGTON — In what was described as a major impetus to redesign higher education, a new Gallup poll released Tuesday found that most Americans — 71 percent — view higher education as important to a person’s financial security in the future, but that 74 percent also thought higher education was unaffordable for everyone who needs it.
The poll also found that 41 percent of Americans thought about going back to school to earn a college degree or certificate within the last year. Family responsibilities, the cost of higher education and job responsibilities, however, were cited as the biggest barriers to returning to school, the poll found.
“This is a very important population that we need to figure out how to tap and move them from this strong intentionality to action,” Valerie Calderon, director of the Gallup Student Poll, said of those whom the poll found had recently considered going to college to earn a degree or certificate.
Calderon made her remarks Tuesday at Gallup World Headquarters during an event to formally release the new poll, titled, “America’s Call for Higher Education Redesign.”
“There is lots of will around higher education, lots of intentionality around higher education,” Calderon said. “We need to help folks to find the ways to get there. And we need to address those ways, be creative about them and bring the village together and think about what those new ways might be.”
A series of panelists made similar remarks.
“This system is largely predicated on a delivery model that’s not going to meet our needs,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of the Lumina Foundation.
