Words Used to Describe "Higher Ed" Make a Difference

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Different words used to describe higher education evoke different confidence ratings among U.S. adults. Americans are considerably more likely to say they have a great deal of confidence in "higher education" than in "colleges and universities." Public confidence in "community colleges" and "postsecondary education" falls between these other two terms.

Previous research conducted by Gallup shows a very significant political divide in views of higher education in general. A study by the Pew Research Center found a notable souring among Republicans on colleges and universities.

There are a number of ways to describe higher education, including the term higher education itself, colleges and universities, and postsecondary education. The current study asked random samples of Americans to rate their confidence in education using each term, along with the term community colleges. The study is intended to help understand the extent to which certain descriptors of higher education have -- or have not -- become particularly "charged."

The term colleges and universities in a comparative sense evokes more negative reactions than the broader terms higher education or postsecondary education. Thirty-six percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in higher education, compared with 29% who have a great deal of confidence in postsecondary education and 23% who have a great deal of confidence in colleges and universities. More broadly, these differences persist, but are slightly reduced, when adding in the group of Americans who say they have quite a lot of confidence -- 55% have either a great deal of or quite a lot of confidence in higher education, compared with 45% in colleges and universities.

It is important to note that no more than 36% of Americans have a great deal of confidence in any of the four terms, and no more than 55% have either a great deal of or quite a lot of confidence in any of them.

Republicans Significantly More Negative on Colleges and Universities

One of the important findings from previous research has been evidence of a significant political divide in views of higher education. This research confirms and extends that previous work. The percentages of Democrats who report having a great deal of confidence in higher education and in colleges and universities are much higher than the percentages of Republicans -- 50% versus 26% for the former and 37% versus 12% for the latter. Of note is the finding that, despite these differences in overall levels of confidence, both Republicans and Democrats are more confident in higher education than they are in colleges and universities. Partisan differences in confidence in community colleges and postsecondary education are considerably smaller.

These same general patterns occur with political ideology, as liberals are more likely than conservatives to have a great deal of confidence in higher education -- 45% to 25%. Both groups are less confident in colleges and universities, though a 13-point liberal-conservative gap still exists.

When partisanship and ideology are considered together, conservative Republicans are three times more likely to say they have a great deal of confidence in higher education (23%) than in colleges and universities (8%). At the other end of the spectrum, although liberal Democrats express more confidence in response to both terms, they too are more confident in higher education than in colleges and universities.

Differences by Education

There are significant differences in views of three of the four terms based on the personal educational attainment of Americans. Americans who report having graduated from college or having postgraduate education tend to be significantly more confident in colleges and universities, higher education and postsecondary education than others.

Americans' confidence in community colleges shows a different pattern. Those with some college, a group that includes those with an associate degree but not a bachelor's degree, are most likely to have a great deal of confidence in community colleges.

Bottom Line

The words "colleges and universities" evoke less confidence than the words "higher education" among U.S. adults. It's possible that negative stories people hear about higher education in the media or in general conversation most often use the words "colleges and universities." Or that the more general term "higher education" connotes the positive goal of gaining more knowledge, while the more specific "colleges and universities" has more negative connections related to specific institutions and specific practices.

Like so much else in American society today, views of higher education have developed a fault line between partisan groupings, and the current research confirms the degree to which confidence in the terms "colleges and universities" and "higher education" skew by political party identification. Democrats are more positive about both terms, although within each group, there is more confidence expressed in higher education than in colleges and universities.

But there is an exception. Community colleges enjoy consistent support from Democrats and Republicans -- which points to an area of opportunity for policy makers and institutions of higher education to focus on building bridges between political parties regarding higher education investments and policy.

These results reinforce that it's important for institutions of higher education to consider how they describe themselves. Some words are just better to use than others. Another recent example is the evidence that the term "liberal arts" may be a bad brand name -- despite the underpinnings of such an education being as valued as ever.