Introduction to the University of California Support
Republican and Democratic voters share common ground when it comes to the University of California: Both sides express widespread support for UC, its research, medical centers and ability to elevate the lives of students, a statewide poll shows.
Support Across Demographic Groups
Strong majorities of registered voters across demographic groups — urban and rural, racial, education levels — said UC research was good for their communities, including 62% of Californians with only high school degrees. Voters in their 20s have the most favorable view of research.
The Survey Results
The survey results, from the nonpartisan UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, come as the university system faces major battles with the Trump administration over deep research funding cuts and President Trump’s demand of a $1-billion fine to resolve federal charges of antisemitism at UCLA.
Value of a UC Education
“In an era where the benefits of public higher education are being questioned, the polling results suggest that California’s residents see the value in a UC education and recognize the many different ways the UC system contributes positively to the state,” said G. Cristina Mora, the institute’s co-director.
Nationwide Drive to Reshape Higher Education
For months, the University of California has been enveloped in the nationwide drive by Trump to reshape higher education, which he sees as a bastion of liberalism hostile to conservative thinking. The 10-campus UC system has faced hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to federal research support that the Trump administration derided as wasteful spending. Last month federal officials suspended more than half a billion dollars in medical study grants to UCLA. Negotiations with the federal government to restore the grants are ongoing.
Political Picture Between Democrats and Republicans
The Berkeley poll of 6,474 registered California voters showed a more nuanced political picture between Democrats and Republicans against the backdrop of White House invective that accuses selective universities of being hotbeds of race- and gender-based discrimination rooted in diversity, equity and inclusion movements that Trump says don’t match the will of the American people.
Support for UC from Democrats and Republicans
Berkeley pollsters found strongest support for UC from Democrats, people with college degrees and state residents who are not white.
But majorities of Republicans also showed support for UC across the board:
- 58% of Republicans agreed or strongly agreed that UC “produces important research that benefits communities in California,” compared with 78% of Democrats.
- 75% of Republicans agreed or strongly agreed that UC academic health centers, such as UCLA Health, are “important to the communities they serve,” while 80% of Democrats said the same.
- 54% of Republicans agreed or strongly agreed that the UC system is “important for helping students to get ahead.” Among Democrats, 74% gave the same responses.
Personal Experiences with UC Doctors
Mora said it was “surprising” that Californians appeared to know enough about UC research to support it.
“Usually, you may think of the UC system as one about teaching and giving degrees. But there was strong approval of research and medical centers.”
The university has six academic health centers and, in Los Angeles County alone, more than a dozen UCLA Health locations. Mora, a UC Berkeley sociology professor, said she thought people’s personal experiences with UC doctors in local communities may have contributed to positive views of UC health programs throughout the state.
Comparison with National Surveys
IGS co-director Eric Schickler said the data were starkly different from national surveys on higher education.
“If you look at national polling, the story is pretty clear: Republican confidence in higher education has gone down a lot and there’s even some erosion among Democrats in terms of confidence or approval,” said Schickler, a UC Berkeley political science professor. “What you are seeing in California is very strong support in despite those trends.”
Taxpayer Funding for UC
One prompt that showed a large gulf between the parties was on taxpayer funding for UC.
Asked whether California should give more or less money to the system, 74% of Democrats said UC should get more. Only 30% of Republicans agreed. UC gets about 9% of its budget from the state, a percentage that has declined over the years amid state budget crunches and payment deferrals.
Nonpartisan Poll
The institute did not ask Californians about Trump or his education agenda. Instead, the questions were framed in apolitical terms focused on how respondents valued different parts of the UC experience.
Schickler said the Institute of Governmental Studies, while contained within a UC campus, does not take sides in the current political conflict over colleges and universities.
“Our philosophy has always been that the IGS poll is a nonpartisan poll,” he said. “The sample and survey has the same process as any survey we do. This is not a survey UC asked us to do.”
Advice to Enroll in UC
The poll also asked whether Californians would tell a close friend who was admitted to a UC school to enroll or not. In total, 70% of respondents said they would advise enrolling. However, there was a political split: 82% of Democrats said they would share such advice, compared with 51% of Republicans.
Additional Survey
Researchers conducted most of the polling in early June, months into cutbacks to U.S. campus grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and other federal agencies as the government curtailed research into racially diverse groups as well as LGBTQ+ populations, among other areas.
The surveying largely took place before the Trump administration’s conflict with UC came to a head this month, when the White House demanded $1 billion and sweeping campus changes to restore more than $500 million in research grants at UCLA.
Pollsters asked an additional question in mid-August to a separate set of 4,950 voters who were UC degree recipients. That survey took place after Trump’s latest cuts to UCLA.
It asked UC degree holders whether, “considering the costs of getting your degree from a UC school versus the benefits to you personally, in your opinion was getting your degree worth it or not?”
In response, 82% of Democrats said a UC degree was worth the money, compared with 64% of Republicans.
Conclusion
The University of California enjoys widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans in the state, with strong majorities of registered voters across demographic groups expressing favorable views of UC research, medical centers, and its ability to help students get ahead. While there are some differences in opinion between the two parties, particularly with regards to taxpayer funding for UC, the overall picture is one of strong support for the university system.
FAQs
Q: What percentage of Californians with only high school degrees believe that UC research is good for their communities?
A: 62%
Q: Which group has the most favorable view of UC research?
A: Voters in their 20s
Q: What percentage of Republicans agree or strongly agree that UC produces important research that benefits communities in California?
A: 58%
Q: What percentage of Democrats agree or strongly agree that UC academic health centers are important to the communities they serve?
A: 80%
Q: What percentage of UC degree holders believe that getting their degree was worth the money?
A: 82% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans
