- A new British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey reveals a significant decline in public confidence regarding the value of a university education, driven by concerns over graduate job prospects and student debt.
- A record 34 per cent of respondents in 2025 believe higher education is not worthwhile, more than doubling the 15 per cent who held this view in 2005, while conviction that graduates are better off long-term fell from 50 per cent to 36 per cent.
- The decline in confidence coincides with 700,000 degree holders now unemployed and claiming benefits, an increase of 200,000 since 2019, alongside widespread dissatisfaction with the student loan system.
- Despite calls from some politicians for fewer students, most people believe opportunities for young people to attend university should expand or remain constant, though 42 per cent of the public feel there are currently too many recent graduates.
- Alex Scholes, a co-author of the BSA report, warned that this erosion of confidence poses a significant risk to the financial stability of the higher education sector, which is already under immense pressure.
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