Apr 18, 2013 04:47 AM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

A survey conducted by the University of Florida (UF) Center for Public Issues Education on the importance of higher education reveals that a majority of people favor going in for higher studies as it leads to better jobs and financial security.

The survey showed that 77 percent of respondents felt higher education was a good investment, and 85 percent thought securing a degree would help solve their financial struggles.

The results of this survey are a bit surprising as they tilted in favor of higher education, even when the costs of tuition, textbooks, rent and other expenses are increasing every day.

The survey asked around 523 Florida residents aged 18 and above to express their viewpoints on higher education and to answer questions regarding college affordability, personal experience and employment impact.

It found that more than half of the respondents considered college to be too expensive; 20 percent expected the costs to rise and people alleged that their financial limitations and the need to support their family were the primary reasons that had forced them to discontinue their education

Alex Radulescu, a UF electrical engineering sophomore, 18, said that a college degree was important for people who wished to pursue a career.

Other results included:

-        72 percent believed a college education would significantly increase their wages by more than $50,000 annually, in some cases.

-        Out of the 30 percent of respondents who did not opt for a college education, more than 70 percent claimed that they couldn't afford to pay rising tuition costs at colleges and universities.

-         Almost 45 percent of respondents felt that degrees could help them fetch proper jobs with good salaries

-        More than 50 percent of Floridians felt getting an online degree was equivalent to a degree earned by attending college.

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