Voters in England are generally more supportive of universities than they are in the US, but there are signs that some public perceptions are going in the “wrong direction”, and the views of those who are anti-higher education are becoming more entrenched.
These are among the main findings of new Public First polling conducted on behalf of the UPP Foundation and the Higher Education Policy Institute, published on 2 February.
On the positive side, there is broad support for the work of universities, with 77 per cent of those polled agreeing that they are important for innovation and research, and 57 per cent recognising their importance to the UK economy. This was backed up with strong support for continued public investment in universities, despite cost-of-living pressures.
