Education

Just 26% Give U.S. Public Schools Positive Marks

Most voters still don't think very positively about the nation's public schools and continue to believe political correctness trumps accuracy in America's textbooks.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 26% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the performance of public schools in America today as good or excellent.  Thirty-four percent (34%) rate public education as poor.  (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 26-27, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

25% Favor Affirmative Action Programs for College Admissions

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on a lawsuit challenging the University of Texas’ use of race as a factor in admissions. Most Americans believe affirmative action admissions policies discriminate against whites, as the lawsuit argues, and think it’s better for colleges and universities to accept the most qualified students.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 25% of American Adults favor applying affirmative action policies to college admissions. Forty-four percent (44%) oppose such admissions policies, while 34% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on May 28-29, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

27% Think College Graduates Have Skills Needed to Get A Job

An overwhelming majority of adults still believes that in terms of finding a job in today’s economy, a college degree is at least somewhat important, but just one-in-four think most college graduates are qualified to get a job.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of American Adults believe most college graduates do not have the skills needed to enter the workforce. Twenty-seven percent (27%) disagree and think they are qualified to find work. Just as many (25%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

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25% Think Most College Professors Share Values of U.S. Society

Full-time college professors are generally regarded as politically liberal by most Americans, and only one-in-four think most professors favor the values of American society.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 25% of U.S. Adults believe most full-time college professors share the values of American society. Forty percent (40%) think most full-time professors oppose American values. A sizable number (34%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 24-25, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

59% Say College Is Primarily For Gaining Job Skills

Americans by a two-to-one margin view colleges as job training centers.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of American Adults believe the primary purpose for attending college is to learn the skills needed to get a better job. Thirty percent (30%) disagree, while 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on April 24-25, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

18% Think Most Colleges and Universities Promote U.S. Social Values

Americans tend to believe colleges and universities should promote the nation’s social values but think the schools are much more likely to challenge them instead.  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that a plurality (45%) of American Adults believes colleges and universities should uphold the values of American society. Just 18% think the schools should challenge those values. Twenty-eight percent (28%) say they should do both, and six percent (6%) feel they should do neither. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on April 24-25, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

71% View College Admissions for Good Athletes Over Better Students as Unfair

While it's commonplace for most colleges and universities to bend over backwards to recruit star athletes, Americans believe strongly that talented jocks shouldn't be admitted over more qualified students.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 17% of American Adults think it is fair for a school to accept a skilled athlete over a more qualified student. Seventy-one percent (71%) disagree and do not believe that athlete should get preferential admissions. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

5% Think It’s Better for America If All Presidents Are Ivy League Grads

Only three percent (3%) of Americans think graduates of Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale make better workers than those who went to other colleges and universities. Still, every U.S. president for the last 25 years is an Ivy League graduate.

But only five percent (5%) of American Adults think it is better for America to have presidents only from Ivy League schools. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 85% believe it’s better for the country to have presidents who come from a variety of schools. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.For those students, Americans think contacts and the name of their school are as valuable as what they learn.

Americans Think Making Contacts Just As Important As Education in Elite Schools

Education is the most important thing students get out of a state university or a community college as far as most Americans are concerned. But for those who attend elite colleges and universities, contacts and the name of their school are considered as valuable as what they learn.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted byPulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Most Want Businesses to Offer More Jobs to Those Without Degrees

The New York Times in December ran a story expressing concern over a new trend in Montana. The state’s energy boom was forcing companies to offer $50,000 a year jobs to high school graduates (and $50,000 goes further in Montana than in New York City).  The Times article highlighted concerns that such well-paying jobs might lure students into the workforce rather than college.

However, 51% of American Adults believe it would be better for our country if more businesses offered jobs to high school graduates rather than requiring a college degree. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 33% disagree.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Still, 54% think just about any good student who wants to attend college can find a way to do so. Just 32% disagree. Younger adults are even more convinced that good students can find a way to finance a college education.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

45% Oppose Tax Deductions for Some College Donors

Most Americans don't think it's fair for colleges to give special treatment to children of large donors, and a sizable number believe that donations to those schools should no longer be tax deductible. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that a plurality (45%) of American Adults think donations to colleges and universities should not be tax deductible if those schools give special applications preference to the children of large donors. Thirty-seven percent (37%) disagree and believe those donations should remain tax deductible.  Eighteen percent (18%) more are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 2-3, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

30% Think It’s Fair For Colleges To Give Admissions Preference to Donors' Children

Most Americans don’t think it’s fair for colleges to give special treatment to children of large donors, but they have mixed opinions when it comes to the children of those who once attended those schools.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 30% of Adults think it’s fair for colleges and universities to give preferences to children of large donors.  Sixty-one percent (61%) disagree. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 2-3, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

23% Think Elite Colleges and Universities Accept Only the Most Qualified

A sizable number of Americans recognize that some of the nation’s top schools give special preference to children of previous graduates and major donors, but they don’t view that as a bigger problem than the emphasis on recruiting minority students.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 23% of American Adults believe schools like Harvard and Yale accept only the most qualified students. Forty percent (40%) say those Ivy League schools give special preferences to the children of prior students and donors. Thirty-seven percent (37%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 2-3, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

59% Think Most School Textbooks Put Political Correctness Ahead of Accuracy

Voters continue to believe that political correctness trumps accuracy in most school textbooks. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 16% of Likely U.S. Voters think most school textbooks are more concerned about accurately providing information. That's down from 27% in March 2010. Fifty-nine percent (59%) think most textbooks are chiefly concerned with presenting information in a politically correct manner, consistent with attitudes for the past three years. Twenty-five percent (25%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 18-19, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

80% Think Lower Tuition Costs Would Help Students More Than Easier Loan Access

Most Americans believe the availability of student loans has helped push up the cost of going to college and that lowering those tuitions would do more for students than granting easier access to loans.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of American Adults now think the availability of student loans has helped increase college tuition costs. That's up four points from 48% last April.  Just 17% disagree, but a sizable 31% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Eighty percent (80%) believe lower tuition costs would help students more than easier access to student loans. Only 14% think easier access to loans would help more.

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 18-19, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Voters Have Mixed Feelings About More Money for Schools

Just 10% of Likely Voters correctly recognize that the United States spends on average about $9,000 per pupil each year in elementary and high schools. But voters are narrowly divided when asked if spending more on schools will improve student performance.

Thirty-four percent (34%) think America spends less than $9,000 annually per pupil, while 16% say it spends more, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. A whopping 40% won’t even hazard a guess. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on January 9-10, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

66% Oppose Teacher Strikes During Union Negotiations

As the Chicago teachers strike comes to a close, voters strongly believe the teachers should have kept working while their union contract was being negotiated.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is appropriate for the teachers to go on strike at this time. Sixty-six percent (66%) believe the teachers should stay on their jobs while a new union contract is being negotiated. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 17-18, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology.

Only 25% Know How Much Teachers Really Make

Americans tend to think public school teachers are not paid enough until they find out how much they actually are paid.

Forty-five percent (45%) of American Adults, when initially asked, say public school teachers are paid too little, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. This is relatively unchanged from February but down 12 points from 57% in May 2008. One-in-three (33%) think teachers are paid about the right amount, while 14% say they earn too much. (To see survey questions wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 10-11, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

42% Think It Should Be Illegal for Teachers to Strike

Chicago public school teachers are on strike for higher pay and different job evaluation procedures, but Americans are narrowly divided over whether it should be legal for teachers to strike under any circumstances.

Forty-two percent (42%) of American Adults say it should be against the law for school teachers to go on strike, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Slightly more (46%) do not think it should be illegal, while 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 10-11, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.