In 1993, Public Agenda reported on how Californians view their system of public higher education in a report entitled The Closing Gateway. That study, based on opinions of 832 state residents in the fall of 1993, provided a snapshot of Californians' attitudes and concerns at that time. But which attitudes were enduring and which were likely to change in response to new events and developments? To examine these questions, Public Agenda revisited many of the same issues with another 800 Californians in the fall of 1996, producing the results found in this report, Enduring Values, Changing Concerns. This report also includes a number of new survey questions and it supplements the findings with open-ended telephone interviews in which some survey participants elaborate on their views.

The three years between these studies have been eventful ones for California and for its higher education system. The Closing Gateway was conducted during a seemingly endless recession and at a time of unprecedented increases in college tuition and fees. Today, the economy is considerably brighter, and fees at public colleges and universities have been virtually frozen for the past few years. In response to these differences, some public attitudes have changed dramatically while others remain rock solid. Distinguishing among these issues offers a more complete picture of how Californians view the state's public higher education system.

In Part One of this report, we discuss the enduring values that seem to underlie Californians' views on higher education. In Parts Two and Three, we report on circumstances and attitudes that have changed over the last few years as California has entered better economic times. Part Four looks at attitudes about the future of California's higher education system.

Some public attitudes have changed dramatically while others remain rock solid. Distinguishing among these issues offers a more complete picture of how Californians view the state's public higher education system.