In 2015, over half — 57 percent — of respondents to a Gallup survey expressed having “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. In 2023, that share had cratered, falling to 36 percent.

When hearing this, my first thought was that universities had lost conservatives. And that is a big part of the story. In 2015, over half (56 percent) of Republicans reported “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. By 2023, that share had fallen by 37 percentage points. In that year, fewer than one in five Republicans had confidence in universities.

But universities are bleeding support among Americans who identify as Democrats and independents as well. In 2023, universities had the confidence of only 59 percent of Democrats and around one-third of independents. Universities lost the support of around one in ten Democrats and three in 20 independents from 2015-2023.

Large reductions in the shares of independents and Democrats who are confident in universities rules out partisanship as a comprehensive and sufficient explanation for the fact that universities are bleeding support from Americans at large.

In the main, the problem lies with universities themselves.