New poll reveals overwhelming support for investment in higher education

The Ipos Mori survey for Universities UK shows that 90% of the general public thought it was important for the government to invest in UK universities. UCU said the poll confirmed its own position that investment, not swingeing cuts, was the only way the UK could continue to operate as a global leader in higher education.
 
The poll comes just a week after a damning international report revealed that the UK is investing less of its gross domestic product in higher education than competitor countries - just 1.3 per cent compared to an average of 1.5 per cent - and that the UK had plummeted down the international graduation rate league table.
 
The survey found that:

• 90 per cent of respondents thought that it was important for the government to invest in UK universities
• 89 per cent agreed that universities contribute to advances in science, technology and healthcare.

Nearly half of all respondents (45 per cent) reported that they had never had any contact with a university (or studied at a university). A quarter of those surveyed (25 per cent) had themselves studied at a UK university.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Today's poll shows that the public understands the important role universities play in wider society and why we should continue to invest in higher education. We all benefit from higher education, whether we study at university or not, and I am pleased, although perhaps not surprised, that the public recognises this.
 
'We need to invest in our universities in order to secure the country's future and that requires a proper debate on university funding. The forthcoming Browne review needs to look again at the idea of charging big business for the substantial benefits it gains from a plentiful supply of graduates. If the only options on the table are more ways to penalise students then the review will have failed to meet its remit.'
 
The full poll is available from Universities UK (UUK).