Half of U.S. Adults Would Change at Least One Education Decision

Used in 3 entries

For each citing entry, the verbatim excerpt and Likelier's calculation notes (how the source's number was converted to the lifetime-probability framing) are shown below. Click through to read the full claim ledger.

1. [1] Private vs public university Decision · action side

   Statistic

   51% of US adults would change at least one aspect of their education experience; 28% would select a different institution

   “"Fifty-one percent of U.S. adults would change at least one aspect of their education experience. Significantly fewer (28%) would select a different institution."”

   Calculation notes

   Strada-Gallup Education Consumer Pulse survey, n approximately 90,000 US adults, June 2016 through March 2017. Report does not isolate private-4yr vs public-4yr regret rates as separate figures; used here as corroboration that institution-choice regret exists but is secondary to field-of-study regret.
   

   Source date: 2017-06-01 · Accessed: 2026-05-01

2. [2] Private vs public university Decision · inaction side

   Statistic

   51% of US adults would change at least one aspect of their education experience; 36% would choose a different field of study; 28% would select a different institution

   “"Fifty-one percent of U.S. adults would change at least one aspect of their education experience. Thirty-six percent of U.S. adults who pursued or completed a postsecondary degree would choose a different field of study. Significantly fewer (28%) would select a different institution."”

   Calculation notes

   The 28% who would choose a different institution includes all institution-type switches and is not specific to public-to-private transitions. Used here to establish that institution-choice regret exists but is secondary to major/field regret.
   

   Source date: 2017-06-01 · Accessed: 2026-05-01

3. [3] Student debt vs. cheaper path Decision · inaction side

   Statistic

   Among US adults without a 4-year degree, 31% said they would change their highest level of education if they could redo it, primarily by obtaining a 4-year degree

   “"Among Americans without a four-year college degree, 31 percent said they would change the highest level of education they received if they could make the decision over again. The most common change these adults would make is to obtain a four-year college degree. Overall, half of all U.S. adults say they would change at least one education decision if they could redo it."”

   Calculation notes

   Gallup survey of approximately 3,200 US adults. The 31% figure is a direct "would you change your education level?" question applied to the population of non-4-year-degree holders, which is the inaction-side population for this decision. This is the cleanest available proxy for inaction regret on this question. The survey covers all non-degree adults including those who chose vocational training, community college, or no post-secondary education.
   

   Source date: 2017-08-01 · Accessed: 2026-05-13