According to a national survey by the Pew Research Center, a majority (58 percent) of Republicans and Republican leaning independents now believe colleges and universities have a negative effect on the country.

The Pew Research Center conducted the survey June 8-18 among 2,504 adults that found partisan views on issues like the news media have grown even wider. The study also showed that Republicans and Democrats remain far different in their assessments of the effects of other national institutions. In many of these cases, the gaps in these views are significantly wider today than just a year ago.

A majority of Republicans (85 percent) believe the news media has a negative effect while only 46 percent Democrats have a negative view of the news media.  A majority of Democrats (59 percent) continue to view labor unions positively in comparison to Republicans (33  percent).

Republicans also have a more favorable view of banks and financial institutions (46 percent) than Democrats (33 percent).

Even as the opinions of Republicans and Democrats have changed over time, the public’s overall evaluations haven’t changed much at all. A majority of Americans view colleges favorably (55 percent), labor unions favorably (47 percent) and churches (59 percent) positively.

But vilifying higher education when the entire Republican party in D.C. is based off the privilege these institutions provided them? What gives?