Should college endowments be taxed? Americans are split

The Americans overwhelmingly support endowments for state colleges, however, when it comes to raising taxes to support them, a split among them is seen. This is in accordance with the American national higher education survey.

Two-thirds of the mass in the survey believes that colleges and universities are a real functional unit for a society, however as the price of college has increased more than inflation over decades, and student debt has surpassed $1.5 trillion, many have questioned the value of higher education. 

The findings come from a new WGBH News/Abt Associates poll of 1,002 adults across the country, conducted Aug. 21-25, 2018. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percent. Seventy-eight percent say they would be concerned if their state decided to reduce funding for public colleges. When asked if they would support higher taxes so more state residents could afford to attend a state college or university, 47 percent of respondents say yes, and 49 percent say no.

The poll also found divisions when it comes to views on taxing college endowments. Fifty percent of the 1,002 adults surveyed say endowments should not be taxed, while 43 percent believe they should be.