Results of a survey assessing public opinions and attitudes about higher education in Alabama are presented. A representative sample of 736 households was contacted by telephone, and 546 agreed to be interviewed. The survey was designed to evaluate public opinions and attitudes about higher education teaching, research, service, finance, governance, and quality of performance. Among the findings are the following: 94 percent expressed confidence in Alabama colleges and universities; 76 percent indicated that Alabama colleges and universities are as good as those in the rest of the nation; 94 percent indicated that a college education is important for their children; 90 percent agreed that is is important for Alabama's colleges and universities to conduct research that relates to the problems of the South and the nation; 89 percent felt it important for Alabama's colleges and universities to provide direct technical assistance to the local community and the state government; 58 percent indicated that they would be willing to pay higher taxes in order to improve the quality of education in Alabama higher education; 61 percent opposed using state tax money to support private colleges in Alabama; and 58 percent felt that a Board of Regents rather than the state legislature should decide how much money each college and university in Alabama gets every year. A brochure describing the study is appended. (SW)