Why do populists dislike higher education? A test of mechanisms


For those attending in-person, the entrance to CESS is located in George Street Mews. A research assistant should admit you when you arrive but you should ring the bell if this is not the case.

This talk outlines a planned survey, to be fielded in 5 countries, which includes three experiments regarding education politics: a conjoint design examining how people perceive educational quality, a test of voters’ willingness to punish incumbents for poor educational performance, and an examination of the mechanisms that underpin support for educational expansion in higher education. In the talk I will focus mostly on the last design, looking to unpack the mechanisms that might explain growing backlash against higher education amongst some groups of voters.