N.J. poll finds 45 percent believe in value of college education

 N.J. voters surveyed in a recent Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll were just about split on the value of a college degree (Bas Slabbers/for NewsWorks, file photo)

N.J. voters surveyed in a recent Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll were just about split on the value of a college degree (Bas Slabbers/for NewsWorks, file photo)

The latest Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll finds New Jersey residents are divided on whether getting a college degree is worth the investment.

Poll director Krista Jenkins said 45 percent of New Jersey voters surveyed believe that the cost of a college degree is justified by the value society places on the accomplishment. But 43 percent say it’s no longer worth the declining value of a degree.

“Women are more likely to believe that a college education retains its value,” she said. “Interestingly, people without a college degree, either who have maybe some years of college under their belt or just a high school degree, these are the folks who are the most likely to believe that it is no longer worth it.”

About a third of voters blame the excesses of those running the colleges for rising tuition costs, Jenkins said. They believe it’s the result of things like fiscal mismanagement and overpaid administrators.

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They aren’t critical of the costs of college sports, however. About two-thirds of voters say those programs are beneficial for revenue and school pride.

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