Poll on Higher Education's Affordability and Accessibility

Most adults in the U.S. (60 percent) say education beyond high school is available to anyone in the country who needs it, according to newly released results of a Gallup poll. That finding is similar to what Gallup found in 2015, the last time it asked that question. But the number has declined since 2011, when it was 71 percent.

Those portions decline among younger respondents, however. For example, 46 percent of respondents who are 18 to 29 years old think higher education is available to anyone who needs it.

The poll found more negative opinions overall about higher education's affordability. About a quarter (27 percent) of adults said education beyond high school is affordable, a rate that has been fairly consistent since Gallup began asking the question in 2012.