College and post-secondary training is more important than ever.  In a struggling economy, young adults hoping to hone their skills and improve their job opportunities increasingly turn to higher education as a way to get ahead.

In a survey released today, conducted by Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research & Consulting and commissioned by The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), Demos, and Young Invincibles, nearly eight out of ten participants said that attaining a college degree is more important than a generation ago.

The survey, which reached 872 young adults ages 18 – 34 years of age, also revealed a general agreement that college is becoming increasingly out of financial reach: 75% of young adults believed that college had become harder to afford in the last five years. These views cut across all demographics and political views.  More than three-quarters of African-American (80%), Latino (77%), and white (76%) young adults say higher education is harder to afford than five years ago.  Further, 73% of young Americans believe that college graduates have more college debt than they could manage.

As college costs increase, young adults oppose cuts to student aid – an opposition that holds true across party lines.  The survey found that about three-quarters of young adults oppose cuts to Pell Grants as a way to reduce the federal deficit, while another 73% oppose charging interest on student loans while the student was in college.

A link to the full poll results can be found here.