Unmet Promises: Diminishing Confidence in Education Among College-Educated Adults from 1973 to 2018

Abstract

Objective: This article asks: Does experience with education undermine confidence in the institution? If so, has this changed over time?. Method: This study uses mixed effects binary logistic regression on the General Social Survey (1973–2018). Results: Confidence in the institution of education has declined over time. Those with a college degree are less confident in education and their confidence is diminishing over time. By 2018, those with a college degree indicated the lowest levels of confidence in education since 1973. These changes are distinct from general trends in institutional confidence. In fact, higher education is typically associated with more confidence in social institutions. Conclusion: These trends likely reflect the shifting rhetoric around the purpose and function of college education as well as the changing economic landscape of higher education. By focusing on long-term changes to a key symbolic impact of higher education (i.e., public confidence in education), findings add to the existing literature on the material benefits and consequences of attaining a college degree.