Polling has found that the public is losing confidence in higher education, with support from Republicans declining especially steeply over the past decade. Cost and perceived politicization are cited as top reasons for this decline in support. However, the nuances of what this means have not been explored. Using a series of survey experiments, I analyze the relative importance of degree cost and university affiliates’ political ideologies in shaping respondents’ attitudes towards universities. The policy implications of this are important – if universities are to repair their relationship with the public, they must form a better understanding of what the public expects of them.
