Arizona Post-High School

Education Policy Issues Survey

Summary of Findings from a Survey of Arizona Voters �Conducted September 19-26, 2024

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Survey Methodology

(Note: Not All Results Will Sum to 100% Due to Rounding)

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Arizona Voter Election Engagement & Mood

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The vast majority of Arizonans are highly �engaged with this year’s election…

Q1.

Thinking about the November election for President, Senator, Congress, state and local offices and �ballot measures, please rate your level of motivation to vote on a scale from one to ten, where one means you are not at all motivated to vote and ten means you are extremely motivated to vote.

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…and more than nine in ten say they intend �to vote on all or most candidate races �and measures on the ballot.

Q2.

Thinking about elections and voting, which of the following three statements is the most accurate for you?

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Overall, a majority continues to hold a pessimistic �view of Arizona – opinion of the state is most �divided along partisan lines.

Q3.

Would you say that things in the State of Arizona are generally going in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track?

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Favorability Ratings

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Six in ten voters continue to have a positive �impression of Arizona’s community colleges, �technical colleges and state universities.

Q4 c-e. I’m going to mention a few people and organizations that are active in public life. Please tell me whether you have an overall favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person or organization. Not Part of Split Sample

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Similar to last year, pluralities rate the state’s �private and online universities favorably.

Q4 f & g. I’m going to mention a few people and organizations that are active in public life. Please tell me whether you have an overall favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person or organization. *Split Sample

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Meeting Arizona’s� Need for an Educated Workforce

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More than six in ten voters support doing more �to reach the goal of 60% of Arizonans pursuing �education or training beyond high school.

Q6. In your opinion, should more be done to increase the share of Arizona students with education or training beyond high school, is enough being done, �or should less be done?

Arizona is working toward a goal that by 2030, at least 60% of Arizonans ages 25-64 will complete education beyond high school, including a four-year college, community college, apprenticeship, or a workforce certification program to ensure the state has a skilled and educated workforce. Currently, only 48% of Arizonans ages 25-64 are estimated to have earned some type of workforce certification or degree after high school.

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There is bipartisan support for “doing more” �to increase the number of Arizonans who pursue �education or training beyond high school.

Q6. In your opinion, should more be done to increase the share of Arizona students with education or training beyond high school, is enough being done, �or should less be done?

Meeting 60% Goal by Gender & Party

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There is a consensus among voters of all ages �that more should be done to increase the number of Arizonans with an education beyond high school.

Q6. In your opinion, should more be done to increase the share of Arizona students with education or training beyond high school, is enough being done, �or should less be done?

Meeting 60% Goal by Age

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Regardless of education level, most voters �see a need to promote post-high school �education among Arizonans…

Q6. In your opinion, should more be done to increase the share of Arizona students with education or training beyond high school, is enough being done, �or should less be done?

Meeting 60% Goal by Level of Education

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…this is also true regardless of �gender and education level.

Q6. In your opinion, should more be done to increase the share of Arizona students with education or training beyond high school, is enough being done, �or should less be done?

Meeting 60% Goal by Education by Gender

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Voters in all parts of the state back the idea of increasing the number of Arizonans with an education beyond high school.

Q6. In your opinion, should more be done to increase the share of Arizona students with education or training beyond high school, is enough being done, �or should less be done?

Meeting 60% Goal by County & Type of Area

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Three in four voters would be likely to vote for a �candidate who supports doing more to reach the �state’s post-high school education attainment goal…

Q8.

Suppose you knew that a candidate for elected office in Arizona was in favor of doing more to help Arizona achieve the goal of at least 60% of Arizonans completing education or training beyond high school by 2030. Would you be more likely to support that candidate �or less likely to support that candidate?

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Nevertheless, there is a great deal of support for investments to make higher education and �career/job training programs more accessible…

Q10. I am going to read you a list of proposals meant to support the goal that at least 60% of Arizonans complete education beyond high school by 2030. Please tell me whether you support or oppose it

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Promoting FAFSA �Among Arizona Voters

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Most Arizonans are familiar with FAFSA, but especially voters ages 18-39 and those with a college degree.

Q11. *PSE=Post-Secondary Education

Overall, how familiar are you with FAFSA, �the application for federal student aid? �Would you say very familiar, somewhat familiar, �not too familiar or not at all familiar?

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There is broad support for increasing the number �of Arizona high schoolers who complete FAFSA…

Q12. *PSE=Post-Secondary Education

FAFSA is considered the gateway to receiving federal student aid for those who want to continue their education after high school, and those students who complete the FAFSA application are 84 times more likely to go attend a community college, four-year university or a career education program.

Knowing this, do you favor or oppose creating incentives for Arizona high school students to complete the application for federal student aid?

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…and three in four favor requiring high schools assist students and families with completing the form.

Q13. *PSE=Post-Secondary Education

Would you favor or oppose requiring Arizona high schools to provide students and families with assistance to complete the application for federal student aid?

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Conclusions

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Conclusions

• Despite their overall negative mood, voters’ favorable impressions of Arizona’s public colleges and universities persist; however, student debt and the cost of a college education remain significant problems.
• Six in ten voters favor “doing more” to increase the share of Arizonans with education beyond high school, and support for this idea crosses all major demographic groups, including party affiliation, gender, age, race/ethnicity and income levels.
• Three in four Arizonans would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports the educational attainment goal, but only half are personally willing to pay additional taxes to fund this initiative.
• Voters strongly support policies to make career/technical education programs and college more accessible and affordable, and there is broad support for increasing the number of Arizona high school students who complete FAFSA.
• Consistent with prior research, messaging in support of the educational attainment goal is highly compelling, particularly when linked to providing career opportunities and economic benefits for individuals and the state of Arizona.

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For more information, �contact:

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For Press and Media Inquiries, please contact Diana Figueroa at dfigueroa@educationforwardarizona.org

For more information, �contact:

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