A National Comparison: Californians More Concerned about Access
To put the attitudes of Californians in perspective, this study included a parallel study of 500 Americans nationwide (see Appendix One: National attitudes toward higher education). On general questions about higher education, the attitudes of Californians are indistinguishable from Americans nationwide, but there were significant differences on specific questions about educational opportunity.
The survey asked respondents from both groups to evaluate existing educational opportunities in the states where they live. Fifty-two percent of Californians believe that there are many qualified people in California who do not have the opportunity to attend college. This is a high number, but the national figures are even higher. Nationwide, six out of ten (60 percent) say that many qualified people in their state do not have an opportunity to attend college. By this measure, Californians are somewhat more likely to feel that their present system provides educational opportunities.
When the survey moved from concerns about the current situation to concerns about the future, we see that Californians are more likely to think that opportunity has decreased and are considerably more pessimistic about the future than other Americans. Sixty-seven percent of Califor-nians say that it is harder to get a college degree now than it was ten years ago, compared to 55 percent nationwide. Seventy-three percent of Californians think it will be even more difficult ten years from now, compared to 66 percent nationwide.
Californians are also less satisfied with the quality of education they are receiving now. Nationwide, 54 percent think that state colleges and universities are teaching students the important things they need to know, compared to a smaller number (46 percent) who feel this way in California.
Not surprisingly, then, Californians are more concerned about higher education than are residents of other states. Nationwide, 41 percent reported a high level of concern about higher education. This is a high figure by any measure (since the comparison was with health care and the economy) but it is significantly lower than the figure in California, where 53 percent expressed a high level of concern. Californians are also more likely to want fundamental reforms in higher education, with 64 percent calling for a basic overhaul as compared to 54 percent nationwide.
These differences may be partially explained by looking at California's history in higher education. Traditionally, Californians have had much greater opportunity for higher education than those in many other states. Indeed, Californians are still more likely than other Americans to give their own state satisfactory marks on opportunity. The majority of Americans-in California and everywhere else-are sold on the importance of a college degree, but Californians are more likely to see access as something they are losing, rather than as something they never had. As one computer programmer in Los Angeles said, "The university system was the jewel of California. It is no longer and it's sad. We saw the tail end of a good thing, and it is gone now."