Over half of Americans receiving higher education regret col

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Fifty-one percent of Americans who received a postsecondary education would change their degree type, institution or major if they had to do it over again, according to a massive new survey released Thursday.

The most common education decision Americans say they would redo is their field of study (36 percent), followed by choosing a different institution (28 percent), while 12 percent would get a different type of degree entirely, finds the survey co-conducted by Gallup and Strada Education Network.

Given the substantial amount of time and money Americans invest in pursuing a postsecondary education, these serious second thoughts indicate considerable implications for U.S. higher education consumers, institutions and policymakers alike, says the Gallup analyst Brandon Busteed.

Such doubts, and even regrets, are likely rooted in a potent mix of ill-informed decisions made by students and their parents, the disconnect between education and career goals, and misguided assumptions on the part of policymakers, said Busteed.

Regardless of the degree type, people who majored in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are less likely to have second thoughts than others, the poll shows.

Meanwhile, regret varies by degree type and age. Bachelor's degree holders are more likely to regret their chosen field of study than technical/vocational, associate and postgraduate degree holders, the poll shows, adding that people who were aged 30 or older at the time of graduation are more satisfied with their decisions.

In general, more than four out of five U.S. adults who completed a credential or a degree either agree or strongly agree that they received a high-quality education, according to the survey.

Gallup and Strada Education Network have been conducting daily interviews of 350 U.S. adults (122,500 per year) since June 2016, creating the largest set of U.S. education consumer insights to date.