Californians & Higher Education. PPIC Statewide Survey

This survey was conducted with funding from The James Irvine Foundation. Its goal is to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about Californians' opinions on issues affecting the state's public colleges and universities. It is the fifth annual PPIC (Public Policy Institute of California) Statewide Survey on higher education since 2007. This survey presents the responses of 2,503 adult residents throughout California, interviewed in multiple languages by landline or cell phone. It includes findings on: (1) Approval ratings of the governor and legislature overall and on their handling of public colleges and universities; opinions about current conditions in the higher education system; ratings of the three higher education branches; concerns about measures being taken to deal with decreased state funding; priorities for spending on higher education, preferences for raising revenues, and perceptions about the importance of the system to the state's future; (2) Perceptions of higher education affordability, financial aid, student loan debt, preparedness, and access; attitudes about the importance and purpose of college, the importance of diversity, K-12 schools' role in preparing students for college, and the role of community colleges and two-year programs; and parents' educational hopes for their children; and (3) Time trends, national comparisons, and variations in perceptions, attitudes, and references about higher education issues across the five major regions of the state (Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles County, Inland Empire, and Orange/San Diego Counties), among Asians, blacks, Latinos, and non-Hispanic whites, among parents, and across socioeconomic and political groups.