OPINION: Higher education has many important stories to tell. So, let’s hear them

Higher education is at least partly responsible for its slide in public trust and perceived value to society. It needs to act now to restore confidence in its usefulness. The loss of trust is real and across the board. The proportion of Americans who say a college education is “very important” has dropped to an all-time low of 31 percent, according to a 2026 Gallup poll. This was a four-percentage-point drop since 2025 and the lowest share since Gallup first asked the question in 1978.

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