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Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek, Jui Shrestha

Some findings of the current survey:

  • About six in 10 Californians say the state’s higher education system is headed in the wrong direction.
  • Three-fourths say there is not enough state funding for higher education.
  • Most say college affordability and the potential of more cuts are big problems for higher education.

Job Approval Ratings:
Governor Brown [PDF]
California State Legislature [PDF]

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
Governor Brown [XLS]
California State Legislature [XLS]

This survey was funded with support from The James Irvine Foundation.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education

By Mark Baldassare, Jennifer Paluch, Dean Bonner, Sonja Petek

Some findings of the current survey:

  • Californians give high grades to their public higher education systems but are worried about increased student costs and state budget cuts.
  • State leaders get record low approval ratings for their handling of higher education: 21 percent for Governor Schwarzenegger and 16 percent for the state legislature.
  • Sixty-seven percent of Latino parents of children aged 18 or younger are very worried about being able to afford a college education, while 38 percent of white parents say the same.

Job Approval Ratings:
Governor Schwarzenegger
California State Legislature

Time Trends of Job Approval Ratings:
Governor Schwarzenegger
California State Legislature

Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California
Economic Outlook for California

Time Trends for the Mood of Californians:
General Direction of Things in California
Economic Outlook for California

This survey was supported with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

blog post

Higher Education: The Economic Engine of California

By Mark Baldassare

An overwhelming majority of Californians say having a four-year college degree is important for economic and financial success. How do residents view education funding and other investments in helping students prepare for and complete college?

Report

Higher Education in California: Improving College Completion

By Hans Johnson, Kevin Cook, Jacob Jackson

California needs more college graduates. The state is projected to fall 1.1 million bachelor’s degrees short of economic demand by 2030. Expanding access to higher education could help shrink the gap, but California also needs to help students stay on track to earn degrees.

blog post

Videos: Higher Education Priorities

By Mary Severance

Most Californians believe that higher education should be a priority for Governor-elect Newsom, and affordability is a major concern. Two events last week highlighted these and other findings from PPIC's latest survey on Californians' views on higher education.

Report

Higher Education in California: Expanding College Access

By Hans Johnson, Sarah Bohn, Jacob Jackson, Olga Rodriguez

Access to college is essential to California’s future growth. More California high school graduates are academically ready for college than ever before. More are applying to and enrolling in college. But many qualified applicants are still being turned away.

Report

Higher Education in California: Institutional Costs

By Hans Johnson, Patrick Murphy, Margaret Weston, Kevin Cook

Over the past 20 years, in-state tuition at both the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) has more than tripled. These tuition increases have led many to believe that spending in the state’s public higher education systems is out of control. However, a closer look reveals that institutional expenditures in the two systems—including faculty salaries and benefits, the largest budget category—have not increased significantly. Our evaluation of both revenues and expenditures shows that recent tuition increases have been driven by dramatic reductions in state subsidies to UC and CSU. In the past, General Fund contributions covered the majority of educational costs. Today, students (often with help from federal, state, institutional, and private grants) pay most of these costs through tuition and associated fees. Better budget data could help policymakers monitor costs and align higher education funding with state goals. But it is clear that tuition at California’s public universities has risen much more rapidly than the cost of providing higher education.

Statewide Survey

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Higher Education

By Mark Baldassare, Dean Bonner, Lunna Lopes

Key findings from the current survey: Most Californians (56%) say affordability is a big problem in the state’s public colleges and universities. Only 18 percent say overall quality is a big problem.

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