For increasing numbers of Americans, a crucial facet of the American Dream appears to be at risk. A solid majority consider a college degree an indispensable ticket to the middle class. At the same time, even more people believe college is financially out-of-reach for many qualified students. This is the message from new public opinion research by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Policy. The two organizations have been tracking public attitudes toward higher education since 1993. Their last survey, "Squeeze Play: How Parents and the Public Look at Higher Education Today," was conducted in early 2007 when the economy was strong. It seemed essential to tap into public opinion again, now that the country is struggling with what many believe will be a prolonged recession. To probe the changes in attitudes, they repeated a series of questions from their 2007 study in a survey conducted in late December 2008. ["Squeeze Play 2009: The Public's Views on College Costs Today--Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education" was written with Paul Gasbarra, Amber Ott, and Jonathan Rochkind.]