Americans want tech companies to take a bigger role in
improving education in the United States, according to a survey from the
digital news company OZY. The study found nearly 70% of 3,350 randomly selected adults who took the survey
would support the federal government providing free postsecondary education and
57% said they would be willing to pay higher taxes to cover the costs.
Three-quarters agreed with the statement that there are
benefits beyond a degree to traditional on-campus learning, while 23% said the
education from online programs is just as good as heading off to college. The
poll was equally split on the purpose of higher education as 49% said it teaches
people how to think and the same amount saying it prepares students for a job.
More than half of respondents said people will need
degrees in science and technology to successfully compete in the job market and
48% said that computer science and engineering majors were best prepared for
the workforce. A tangible skill or trade was rated as the most valuable feature
of a post-high school education by 23% of the participants, while 17% pointed
to professional networking and connections.