Appendix: Methodology

Study Target Population: General Population Age 18+

Sample Units: 9,311

Completed Units: 1,705

Expected Eligibility Rate: 100%

Observed Eligibility Rate: 100%

Margin of Error: ±3.12 percentage points (pp)

Design Effect: 1.72

Survey Field Period: March 1, 2024 – March 25, 2024

Median Duration (minutes): 23

A general population sample 18 years and older was selected from NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel for this study. An oversample of African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, and Hispanic Americans was added to the sample to achieve client-specified complete survey targets for these demographic groups. The sample was selected from the AmeriSpeak Panel using sampling strata based on age, race/Hispanic ethnicity, educational attainment, and gender (48 sampling strata in total).

A total of 9,311 AmeriSpeak Panel members were initially selected for the Varying Degrees 2024 sample. Of this total, 1,963 individuals finished the survey, however, only 1,705 respondents fully completed the survey based on the survey’s completion criteria. In post-processing, 158 cases were removed because they: 1) completed the survey in less than one-third the median duration, 2) skipped or refused more than half of the eligible survey items, or 3) straight-lined eligible grid items.

The Varying Degrees instrument collects information about the public’s perceptions of a variety of aspects related to U.S. postsecondary education. The instrument is designed to collect information to serve two purposes. First, the instrument must be able to illuminate findings that are responsive to current contexts that influence public opinion. Second, the instrument must also collect information about the public’s perceptions over time to illuminate trends.

The Varying Degrees 2024 instrument consisted of ten sections:

• Enrollment and Borrowing Status
• Employment and Financial Security
• Higher Education Value and Accountability
• Affordability
• Higher Education Funding
• Higher Education Institutions by Sector
• College Admission and Selection
• Online and In-person Education and Artificial Intelligence
• Higher Education Impact
• Respondent and Household Demographic Information

The survey was offered in English and Spanish, and it was administered in two modes depending on the preference of the respondent provided during the panel recruitment: 1) self-administered by the respondent online via the Web; or 2) administered over the telephone by a live interviewer.

For the main survey, a small, randomly selected sub-sample of AmeriSpeak web-mode panelists were invited to the survey as a part of a soft launch on Friday, March 1, 2024. The initial data from the soft launch were reviewed to confirm that there were no processing or programming errors. Once reviewed, the remainder of sampled AmeriSpeak panelists were invited to the survey on Monday, March 4, 2024.

If invited, AmeriSpeak panelists can take the survey online through the password-protected AmeriSpeak Mobile App, the password-protected AmeriSpeak Web portal, or by following a link in the email invitation sent to them. To encourage study cooperation, NORC sent the initial invitation and various email reminders to sampled web-mode panelists (i.e., soft launch, total sample, oversamples, and remaining sample) between Friday, March 1, and Sunday, March 24. SMS or text messages were sent to panelists who have agreed to receive such messages on Saturday, March 16. To administer the phone survey, NORC dialed sampled panelists who prefer to take surveys on the phone between Wednesday, March 6 and Sunday, March 24. Panelists were offered the cash equivalent of $3 for completing this survey.