Who backs universities? Public attitudes and contemporary backlash

Journal article

This paper examines whether rising political critiques of higher education reflect a broader public backlash against universities in advanced democracies. Drawing on an original fivecountry survey—including observational and experimental components—it investigates three questions: who is more critical of universities, where such divisions are sharper, and why citizens hold these views. The results show that while overall support for universities remains widespread, attitudes are strongly structured by cultural orientations rather than material interests. Socially conservative voters, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom, are more sceptical of universities’ social and cultural roles, but they do not reject them wholesale. Experimental evidence reveals no generalized hostility: across contexts, most respondents prefer positive over negative arguments, with conservatives adopting more selective, less “bundled” positions than liberals. The findings suggest that ideological divides are real but asymmetrical, suggesting the critical role of different political contexts in shaping backlash.

Authors: Gingrich, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Journal: Comparative Education
• Publication date: 2026-05-27
• Acceptance date: 2026-03-13
• DOI: 10.1080/03050068.2026.2663256
• EISSN: 1360-0486
• ISSN: 0305-0068
• Language: English
• Keywords: higher education; universities; political backlash; public attitudes