New research suggests the 'diploma divide' in American elections is more about political identity than a change in core beliefs due to college attendance. While college graduates may hold more liberal views on social issues and conservative views on economic issues, the shift in political identity over time is the key factor.
Going to college probably makes people more liberal, but the so-called " diploma divide " in American elections has more to do with the badge voters wear rather than their beliefs, according to new research.
“Some pundits blame ‘woke’ professors and others working-class resentment. But the consensus across the political spectrum seems to be that college transforms a person’s core political beliefs and that it is driving Americans apart. There is just one problem with this narrative: The data does not support it,” Michael Vazquez of the University of North Carolina and Michael Prinzing of Wake Forest wrote in anThe diploma divide was a factor in the last presidential election, in which 56% of voters without a college degree went for President Donald Trump, and 56% of voters with a college degree went for former Vice President Kamala Harris, according to surveys conducted by The Associated Press. The diploma divide is “very real and growing,” they wrote. But they also said it is not entirely what people make it out to be. College graduates do have more liberal views on social issues, such as abortion and immigration, they wrote. But that was equally true 50 years ago and has remained remarkably stable across generations, Vazquez and Prinzing said. And they said college grads tend to be more conservative about economic issues, such as those related to taxation and government spending.What has changed in recent years is political identity – how college grads see themselves. College grads have increasingly identified as liberal over the last 10-15 years, while those with some or no college education remained steady. Vazquez and Prinzing also found that students’ political identities change during their college years more now than they did 30 years ago. But within that, there are major differences. Students majoring in English and arts move most to the left, while students majoring in business and engineering actually shift right, Vazquez and Prinzing wrote. Women also move leftward more than men, they said., the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, said a college degree is a proxy for other factors, such as income, job type, geography, and feelings about financial security. Voting differences between college and noncollege voters might reflect economic outlook and life circumstances, not education alone, he said. And Loge, who was not part of the studies, said people tend to treat party affiliation as part of their personal identity, not just a set of policy positions. Voters often align with a party first, then adjust or rationalize their policy views around that identity. Worldviews can change in college, as kids leave their hometowns and get exposure to people from other walks of life.“This research helps reinforce what a lot of college professors have said all along, which is that whatever political views we have outside of the classroom doesn't really impact what we do in the classroom or what people think,” Loge said. “College professors have long pointed out they can't get students to read the syllabus, let alone to agree with whatever political ideology they have.”But he also said higher education shouldn’t be painted with a broad brush. Universities in the South might attract more conservative students, but plenty of conservatives also go to Ivy League colleges in the Northeast. Vice President JD Vance, for example, is a graduate of Yale Law School. “George Washington University is different than Georgetown University, which is 2 miles down the road, which is different than American University, which is 3 miles down the road,” Loge said. “Arizona State University, where I went to graduate school, is a very different university than Emerson College, where I went to undergraduate.” Loge said these studies alone aren’t enough to adequately gauge whether the diploma divide is really growing, but he said party coalitions also shift over time.Historically, Democrats were the party of noncollege-educated, working-class voters, and Republicans were seen as elite. That dynamic flipped under Trump, he said.A fire broke out at Eagles Nest Restaurant on Mt. Rose Avenue in York Tuesday night just before 7:30 p.m., dispatch confirms.The owner of the Farm Show’s popular goat snuggling station is facing felony animal cruelty charges after he performed an at-home C-section on a goat who died.Two kids were taken to an area hospital for evaluation after being injured in a three-car crash Wednesday morning in Hampden Township.A Lebanon County native known for his 'bright smile' leaves behind his daughter, girlfirendA former bus driver in Littlestown and his wife were honored by Senator Doug Mastriano Tuesday after choosing to leave their jobs over their right to express vi
College Political Identity Elections Political Beliefs Diploma Divide
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