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The number of Republicans backing a college education dropped dramatically in two years Reuters

A poll in the US has found that most Republicans believe colleges and universities have a negative effect on the country.

The study by the Pew Research Center found that 58% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents feel that the college system does more damage than good.

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Only 36% felt that colleges have a positive impact.

The results for Republicans is a stark contrast with Democrats, who overwhelmingly backed the positive impact college education has.

Around 72% had a favourable view of universities.

The overall public viewpoint almost exactly meets the middle of the two opposing political sides, with 55% believing that the colleges help the US.

Since 2015, the Democratic support for college has remained stable, whereas for Republicans the number has dropped by 45%.

Donald Trump's war on "fake news" has made a major impact too.

Just 10% of Republicans, compared to 44% of Democrats, say that the media has a positive influence on the country.

The divisions affect other areas too: more Republicans support banks and religious institutions, while more Democrats back labour unions.

The divide in the US increased during the 2016 presidential election, with the main candidates appealing to very different demographics and communities.

Donald Trump tended to appeal to those in the struggling rustbelt area, but Hillary Clinton got masses of support from college-educated families.

While Clinton tended to be favoured more by black and Latino groups, Trump still managed to win major swing states like Florida, which contains a Hispanic and black population of almost 40%.

The survey was conducted from June 8 to 18 among 2,504 adults. The margin of error is 2.3 points.