A recent survey of 1,143 Illinois residents found mixed attitudes about higher education in the state. Results of the survey, conducted by a University of Illinois research center, will be released today at the Illinois Higher Education Summit, where academic, business, civic, and political leaders are meeting to discuss the future of higher education in the state.

In the survey, the Institute of Government and Public Affairs found that respondents were more likely to have positive perceptions of their local community colleges than of four-year institutions statewide. Eighteen percent of those surveyed said their local community college was doing an “excellent” job, whereas just 11 percent said the same of four-year colleges and universities.

The survey found that while 72 percent of Illinoisans strongly believe that any qualified student in the state should be able to go to college, only one-third strongly believe that every student who is motivated actually has the opportunity. Only 8 percent of residents said they strongly believe that “college students are getting their money’s worth.”

The survey also found that about one-third of residents said colleges in Illinois were about the same as those elsewhere in the country. As a researcher at the institute put it, the public thinks colleges in Illinois are “good but not great.”

Citing the finding that 73 percent of residents think college is very important, Stanley O. Ikenberry, a professor at the institute, said by e-mail that people clearly see higher education as central, “but they may not appreciate the depth and breadth of higher-education resources available.” —Ingrid Norton