Americans believe public colleges and universities are worth the cost but feel more mixed about private and for-profit colleges and universities.

Like last year, a majority of Americans say community colleges and public four-year colleges and universities are worth the cost (81 percent and 65 percent, respectively). They do not think this is the case for private nonprofit and for-profit colleges and universities (44 percent and 40 percent, respectively).

A majority of Americans believe that colleges and universities in the public sector are for people like them, similar to last year, but they believe this to be the case more for four-year public colleges and universities (74 percent for public four-year colleges and universities versus 69 percent for public two-year colleges). Slightly less than a majority think that private colleges and universities are for them (49 percent); and just over two in five (44 percent) believe for-profit institutions are for people like them.

A majority of all Americans believe all sectors of higher education (public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit) contribute to a strong American workforce and prepare people to be successful. However, Americans believe this more with respect to the public sector than with the private for- or nonprofit sectors.

Most Democrats and Republicans believe that public colleges and universities are worth the cost, though Republicans (59 percent) are less likely to believe this to be the case for four-year public colleges and universities than Democrats (69 percent). Less than half of Democrats and Republicans believe private nonprofit and for-profit institutions are worth the cost, though Democrats are more likely to believe that private nonprofit institutions are worth the cost (49 percent versus 36 percent of Republicans).

Regardless of party identification, Democrats and Republicans see public sector schools as being for people like them. A slight majority of Democrats (52 percent) believe that private nonprofit colleges and universities are also for people like them, compared with 45 percent of Republicans. Republicans are more likely to say for-profit institutions are for people like them, but it is still a minority of respondents (47 percent of Republicans versus 42 percent of Democrats).

Regardless of party identification, Americans believe all sectors of higher education contribute to a strong American workforce. A majority also believe all sectors prepare people to be successful and happy in life, with one exception: only 46 percent of Independents believe this is the case for for-profit institutions.

By Race and Ethnicity

African American and Hispanic respondents are more likely to see for-profit colleges favorably than their white and Asian peers. African American respondents are the only ones to believe in the majority that for-profit colleges and universities are for people like them (56 percent). African American and Hispanic respondents are more likely to believe for-profits contribute to a strong American workforce and are worth the cost.

By Educational Attainment

Those with a high school education or less and those with some college education have more favorable opinions of for-profit colleges than those with a college degree. More than two out of five (45 percent) people with a high school diploma or less think that for-profit colleges are for people like them, and 46 percent agree that for-profit colleges are worth the cost. For people with some college, half think that for-profit colleges are for people like them, and 43 percent agree that for-profit colleges are worth the cost. Sixty percent of those with a high school education or less and 54 percent of those with some college agree that for-profit colleges prepare people to be successful and happy in life.

By Generation

All generations highly favor public institutions, especially public two-year community colleges. On average more than 80 percent of respondents across all generations think community colleges are worth the cost. Even though those from younger generations are slightly less likely to think that community colleges prepare people to be successful and happy in life (63 percent of Generation Z and 67 percent of Millennials), they are more likely than some from older generations to believe that community colleges are for people like them (71 percent of Generation Z and 72 percent of Millennials).