A majority of Republicans think that institutions of higher education are bad for America, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Monday.
The poll, which surveyed 2,500 adults between June 8 and June 18, found that a majority of Americans, 55 percent, view colleges and universities as good for the country. However, a majority of Republican and Republican-leaning independents, 58 percent, said the institutions have a negative effect on the United States.
The findings mark a shift dramatic shift in Republicans’ views of higher education, according to Pew.
A 2015 survey found that 54 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have a positive view of colleges and universities. That fell to 43 percent in 2016.
In the survey released Monday, Pew researchers said only 36 percent of Republicans said colleges and universities had a positive effect on the country.
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents took an opposite view of the issue, with 72 percent telling Pew researchers that colleges and universities had a positive effect on the country and 19 percent saying they did not.
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