According to a Huffington Post/YouGov poll, most Americans do not feel public colleges and state schools are actually affordable, and here's why: tuition, room and board at public colleges rose 42 percent during the 2000-'01 and 2010-'11 academic school year, and many of these increases were due to state budget cuts and the recession.

However, despite the fact that many believe public colleges are too expensive, a majority of those surveyed also believe that a college education is very important and necessary in order to get ahead in life.

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