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Faith in the economic value of a college degree has fallen steadily in the United States over the past decade.

Return-on-investment conclusions, however, obscure attitudes moving in the opposite direction. A study published this week by New America, an education think tank in Washington, found that more than 70% of Americans think that higher education leads to “greater civic engagement, lower unemployment, and better public health within their communities.”

The acknowledgment of those outcomes reveals a broad consensus among Americans on the value of nonmaterial benefits of higher education, such as mental enrichment and equality. “While there are still some gaps in responses between Democrats and Republicans, the individual and societal benefits of higher education show bipartisan alignment,” the study reported.

More than 80% of Americans, for example, agree that the federal government and states should increase spending to make community colleges, public universities, and minority-serving institutions more affordable. With respect to race and ethnicity, 78% agree that all students benefit when faculties and classes reflect America’s diversity.

The demands for affordability and equality in higher education reflected in the study seek to broaden the lanes of economic opportunity. But they also affirm the good that individuals and societies find in cultivating diversities of thought.