VICTOR JOECKS: Why Americans soured on higher education

/ Las Vegas Review-Journal July 25, 2026 - 9:00 pm Even colleges can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Just 38 percent of Americans have high confidence in higher education, according to a new Gallup poll. That’s down from 57 percent in 2015. Gallup found the main reasons for this lack of confidence are political agenda, cost and the failure to prepare students for careers. This is a stunning — and much-needed — fall from grace. Many schools and politicians spent decades pushing ever-more kids into college. They told high school students that higher education was a virtual guarantee of financial security. You’ve likely heard some version of this factoid. College graduates earn $1 million more than nongraduates during their careers. Sen. Bernie Sanders even sponsored the College for