The Public Agenda recently reported that many young men are more doubtful than young women of the value of higher education. The belief of these men who took the survey seems to rest on the contention that college is better suited for the needs of women. The survey cited in Public Agenda titled “Listening to Young Men” was conducted in November and interviewed 3,559 American adults aged 18 or older.
In addition, a large proportion of men and women taking the survey believe that the value of a college credential is less than it was a decade ago. Moreover, half of the men and 57% of the women said that college degree will be worth less in a decade. Furthermore, more that 50% of men and women see a college degree as a “questionable benefit”.
Given the imperfections of surveys, the findings fit the general impression of reports in the general media about young men and women in college. This data does not bode well for higher education. This finding implies that the prospective student market may believe that the investment is no longer possible, because the cost of a degree is so high and the income from a degree is so low that they cannot earn enough to justify the degree.
Higher education faces a real dilemma if the preceding suppositions have any validity. First, colleges are having a difficult time reducing the operational costs of producing a degree, and second, lowering the price of tuition through larger tuition discounts is not generating sufficient cash to support operation.
This survey is a quandary for presidents, chief financial officers, and especially chief marketing officers. How do you sell your college to your student market, when more than half of them do not believe that a degree is worth the cost.
Citation: The information for this report came from Steven Strategy’s Weekly Stats and Strategies on July 21, 2026. The report was reported by Sara Weismann (July, 2026) “Young Men’s Perceptions of Higher Ed”; Inside Higher Ed; Young Men’s Perceptions of Higher Ed.