Utah's colleges and universities earning solid 'confidence report card' marks

SALT LAKE CITY —At a moment when many college campuses are facing disruptions and institutional resets across the nation, Utah remains fairly bullish on higher education.

Beehive State residents feel particularly positive about colleges and universities inside their borders — but less so about higher education institutions across the United States, according to a March poll of 800 registered Utah voters in a Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics survey.

A sizable majority of Utahns surveyed in the poll — 67% — reported at least some degree of confidence in the state's colleges and universities.

But only 53% of those same respondents expressed similar confidence in higher education institutions nationally.

National doubts aside, Utahns still hold higher education in greater regard than folks across the United States. A 2025 Gallup poll found only 42% of Americans have some degree of confidence in the country's colleges and universities.

That's well below Utah's "confidence" numbers — but still signals a "trust uptick" from how Americans have felt about higher education over the past several years.

Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward is encouraged that the local poll reaffirms general confidence in the state's colleges and education.

"Utah, culturally, simply has more confidence and sees more value and importance in being self-sufficient — and education is one of the primary ways to ensure that you have that kind of self-sufficiency," he told the Deseret News.

"Utahns have a strong appreciation for education, and that trust reflects a tradition of valuing education as a cornerstone of community life," added Utah Tech University President Shane Smeed in a statement. "It also comes from seeing how colleges and universities across the state engage with and support their communities.

"Institutions within the Utah System of Higher Education are more than places of learning. They create opportunities for individuals and strengthen our economy."

Landward noted that Utah's higher education leaders face the perpetual task of ensuring the state's residents are confident in their own colleges and universities.

"The thing we're most focused on is making sure that Utahns see that there's a high return on their investment from their education," he added. "We're focused on giving you training skills and an education that helps provide value in the workplace — and gives you significantly higher economic opportunities."

Poll: A measured 'thumbs up' for Utah schools

So what levels of confidence are Utahns feeling for the state's colleges and universities?

Almost a fifth — 18% – reported a "great deal" of confidence in Utah's higher education institutions, while approximately half of respondents — 49% — reported a "fair amount" of confidence in the state's schools.

Meanwhile, 20% reported "not much" confidence — and 7% answered "not at all."

Statistically, the poll found little "confidence" differences between men and women. However, there were generational gaps.

Over 80% of surveyed Utahns ages 65-and-over expressed at least some level of confidence in the state's schools. That's a sizable difference from respondents between the ages of 18-34, where 60% reported confidence levels.

There's not much of a gap between surveyed Utah Democrats and Utah Republicans. Seventy-one percent of Democrats expressed confidence in Utah schools, just a few numbers higher than GOP respondents at 65%.

Just over 70% of respondents with a bachelor's degree reported some level of confidence in Utah schools — while only 59% of respondents without a college diploma answered in the affirmative.

There are also opinion differences among income levels.

More than three-quarters of respondents who reported making more than $100,000 annually are feeling confident in Utah's colleges and universities. Compare that to 60% among respondents making less than $50,000.

More than two-thirds of white respondents report confidence in Utah's higher education institutions. Just over half of Hispanics share such assurances.

And most Latter-day Saints are apparently fans of the state's colleges. Seventy-two percent reported at least some level of confidence.

People often lose confidence in higher education, observed Landward, when it's expensive — and when they're not seeing their degrees justify those costs. "One of the hallmarks that you see in Utah is we have some of the lowest tuition in the entire country and that we have the lowest amount of student loan debt."

The commissioner added that Utah's colleges and universities can reaffirm confidence by "meeting a changing marketplace for higher education."

For some, that means a traditional four-year degree. For others, higher education is about claiming a technical certificate in a high-demand industry.

Utahns not as enthused for US colleges and universities

Only 13% of poll respondents said they have "a great deal" of national confidence, while 40% reported "a fair amount."

Meanwhile, 28% said they don't have much confidence in U.S. colleges — and 11% responded "not at all."

Once again, there's little difference in the national confidence figures between surveyed men and women. But politically, there's a sizable gap.

Among polled Democrats, 75% expressed some level of confidence in the country's colleges and universities.

But only 42% of Republicans reported such confidence. And half of surveyed Republicans have little or no confidence in higher education institutions nationwide.

And while a majority of Donald Trump voters noted some level of confidence in Utah's schools, only 37% from that same category have any degree of confidence in colleges and universities across the country.

Meanwhile, 78% of poll respondents who identified as Kamala Harris voters expressed confidence in the nation's campuses.

Notably, Latter-day Saints participating in the poll are also far less confident in the nation's colleges and universities than those within Utah. Only 46% expressed some level of national confidence.

Boosting confidence in Utah's higher education

Building wider trust in the state's colleges and universities is a challenge that keeps Landward up at night. He acknowledges that the state's public schools are subsidized significantly by Utah's taxpayers.

"I want to know what the taxpayers feel is most important for this investment — and I get that feedback oftentimes, not only from our students and from the parents and others who are in our system, but from the legislators and elected officials who represent the taxpayers."

Landward believes confidence can be increased when Utahns are certain that they are attending college to learn, be challenged and become responsible thinkers — all while realizing returns on their time and money.

It's also vital, he added, that Utahns regard their colleges as part of their communities — not as separate entities.

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