Higher ed is losing traction in American public opinion. Liberals should think through their response carefully. : Nearly a third of young people, according to polling done last year, now say that getting a college education is less important than it was 20 years ago. Higher education enrollments, declining for nearly a decade, are dropping at an “alarming” rate. And though going to college is still the default plan for many, views are changing. Why are kids cooling on college? The disruption of the pandemic was certainly a factor.