As part of broader national effort, 510 Pennsylvania adults were randomly surveyed in order to examine their attitudes toward higher education. In addition, a focus group was held in suburban Philadelphia. The four major findings of the research are that Pennsylvanians believe: (1) higher education is vitally important for success; (2) the process of earning a degree is inherently valuable to building the character of students and is not merely a symbolic exercise; (3) the main responsibility for success in higher education rests with the student, but institutions should help students who exhibit strong effort; and (4) paying for college is difficult but doable. The Pennsylvania survey complements a national telephone survey of 1,015 adults. Analysis showed that Pennsylvanians' attitudes do not differ significantly from those of the nation's as a whole, except that Pennsylvanians feel that poorer students have an easier time than middle-income students attending a four-year college; Pennsylvanians also strongly support making student loans from the federal government available more often. Three tables present statewide and national response data; a final section describes the methodology. (RAB)