Survey says Louisianans split on higher education

Nearly half of Louisianans who recently participated in the annual Louisiana Survey—49%—say state colleges are excellent-to-good at meeting workforce needs, while 63% say the state doesn’t have enough community and technical colleges. In the latest release of survey results from the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, Louisianans also gave Baton Rouge’s colleges the lowest marks in the state, with just 41% rating them excellent or good. Comparatively, 52% said the same of New Orleans colleges. When it comes the TOPS tuition assistance program, 75% of respondents oppose reducing the total amount eligible to qualifying students, while 49% support increasing academic standards for TOPS—down from 58% who said the same in last year’s survey. Also in the survey results:
• 68% reject the notion that Louisiana has too many four-year colleges;
• 43% support providing a flat monetary award for TOPS, while 46% are opposed;
• 82% of college-educated respondents oppose reducing TOPS award amounts, while 63% of respondents with less than a high school education say the same;
• 84% of respondents earning a household income of $75,000 or more oppose reducing TOPS amounts, while 68% of respondents earning $30,000 or less say the same;
• 85% favor limiting tuition increases to assure colleges and universities remain affordable, while 12% favor allowing colleges and universities to raise tuition and 3% were unsure or did not know.
The Louisiana Survey aims to serve as an annual barometer of statewide public opinion on a number of issues. The overall survey included views of 731 randomly selected respondents, who were polled via phone. Complete survey details, results and methodology can be found here.