Americans overwhelmingly oppose federal funding cuts to science and health research, according to new research led by Northeastern University. The survey of more than 31,000 people in 50 states plus the District of Columbia showed support for more federal research investments. A majority of Americans across a wide array of demographics view universities as important to the nation and oppose federal funding cuts to higher education.
However, the survey also reveals that most Americans have concerns about cost, liberal bias, discrimination and free speech on campuses—irrespective of party lines in most cases. In fact, the vast majority of Americans are concerned about racism, antisemitism, and islamophobia on college campuses, according to the survey.
“The good news for higher education is there’s a strong set of beliefs around value that higher education provides and this crosses various demographics,” says David Lazer, university distinguished professor of political science and computer sciences at Northeastern. “The more cautionary note is concerns about campus climate, presence of racism and antisemitism, around free speech and the cost of higher education. Those are all very present concerns.”
