87 percent in new survey say cost is an important reason to stop studying

A new Gallup poll released Tuesday found that costs and job conflict are the top reasons Americans choose to take a break from higher education.

In the survey, 87 percent said cost was a “very” or “moderately” important reason for pursuing institutional studies, while 81 percent pointed to labor conflicts.

The other two main reasons were the time needed to complete a course, at 73%, and the lack of remote options, at 70%.

Cost tops the list among all demographic groups, including racial and ethnic groups.

“For many of these Americans, the time they spend enrolled in these courses represents significant opportunity costs and financial investments. Given that they do not have a degree or credential to show for how long they have enrolled, they are often worse off than if they had never enrolled,” Gallup said.

College prices have been rising for decades, with some estimating a 180% increase between 1980 and 2020.

The cost of Ivy League schools is close to $90,000 per year, and the average student debt in the US is around $30,000.

“Today, approximately 41.9 million Americans have some college experience but no degree or credential. The percentage of Americans who took some college courses but dropped out and did not complete their degree or credential has increased significantly over the past five years,” Gallup concluded.

About three-quarters of higher education dropouts say they have considered entering a new program in the past two years, according to the survey.

The survey was conducted between October 9 and November 16 among 5,012 adults previously enrolled in a higher education program and who dropped out. A margin of error was not listed.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story