More think college degree is essential

The number of Americans who think a college degree is essential for success has risen dramatically in recent years, a new survey shows, but two-thirds of them also believe that higher education is too high for some qualified students.

The survey, released today by the groups Public Agenda and the National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education, underscores the uptick in public anxiety about college affordability during the current recession.

In the 2000 version of the survey, at the end of the Internet bubble and with the success of college dropouts like Bill Gates attracting attention, just 31 percent of respondents called a college degree the only way to succeed in America. That figure jumped to 50 percent in 2007 and 55 percent in the latest survey, conducted late last month.

Perceptions about accessibility are moving in the other direction: Just 30 percent agreed that almost anyone who needs financial aid for college can find it, down from 38 percent in 2007.

"These changes are rather quick given what you normally see in public opinion," said John Immerwahr, a Villanova University professor and senior research fellow at Public Agenda, a nonpartisan group whose mission includes conveying the public's views to policymakers.

Researchers have conducted the survey six times since 1993. This survey was based on telephone interviews with 1,009 adults, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points.

ASSOCIATED PRESS