The major topics included: • Overall evaluation of post-secondary education in Canada • Importance of post-secondary education to society and the individual • Access and barriers, in general and for specific groups • Funding and financial barriers to education • Purpose of education and relation to potential employment • Relations with and importance of post-secondary institutions to community • V [...] Turning to the performance of the sector in seven specific areas, respondents were asked to rate the sector in each of the following: • Providing a high-quality education for students • Ensuring that continuing education is available to people throughout their lives • Doing world-class research • Ensuring that students have the skills they need to get good jobs • Responding to the needs of their c [...] In a culture that holds equality of opportunity as a basic principle, it should not be surprising that this disjuncture leads to concern . . The Cost of Post-secondary Education When we turn to the cost of getting an education, despite their lack of knowledge of the current financing of colleges and universities, respondents say that the governments should pay more of the costs and students less [...] We will begin by looking at the importance of the sector for the individual, and then on its impact on the economy and the country. [...] If we look at the degree of importance9 for these topics across demographic groups, there are a few general patterns that cross most of the topics: • As the age of the respondent increases, the importance of encouraging these values and behaviours increases.