Predicting Public Confidence in Higher Education Institutions: An Analysis of Social Factors

Research indicates that there are two primary aims of the higher education institution: (a) scientific and scholarly inquiry, and (b) the instruction of students (Veblen, 1918). This aim has been reified consistently for nearly a century. By 2002, the pursuit of higher education had reached record levels. However, more recently, public confidence in higher education is decreasing Previous research posits that public confidence in the institution of higher education is an important component of understanding the extent to which these institutions are delivering on their core missions, and that confidence varies based on specific social and economic factors. Using logistic regression techniques with data from the General Social Survey (GSS), this study Results support previous literature in highlighting the importance of race, while downplaying the previously posited importance of respondent age. Further, this study finds that ideology represented by political party affiliation is statistically significant in predicting confidence in these institutions.