A majority of Americans don’t think a college degree is worth the cost, according to a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, a new low in confidence in what has long been a hallmark of the American dream.

The survey, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, found that 56% of Americans think earning a four-year degree is a bad bet compared with 42% who retain faith in the credential.

Skepticism is strongest among people ages 18-34, and people with college degrees are among those whose opinions have soured the most, portending a profound shift for higher education in the years ahead.

[It’s one poll, but it’s also a rational view of any cost-benefit analysis for higher education these days. Moreover, this poll series has never gone negative on this question until now. The fact that college-degree respondents have shifted the most on this question is a very dark portent for Academia … and for the politicians that rely on it. — Ed]