Following a Presidential Campaign Focused on Lowering Costs for Working Families, Two-Thirds of Republican Voters Trust the Incoming Trump Administration to Make Student Debt and the Cost of College More Affordable
November 21, 2024 | WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new national poll reveals that the high costs of student debt and higher education continued to be a powerful force across the electorate in the 2024 presidential election. Conducted by Protect Borrowers Action (PBA), Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC), and Seven Letter Insights, the poll shows that student debt remains a major focus of voters’ economic anxiety, driving more than ⅓ of voters to the polls in November.
“The polling clearly shows that student debt remains top-of-mind for voters, not just as an isolated issue but as a key factor driving economic decisions,” said Mike Pierce, executive director of SBPC and PBA. “Americans want real solutions to the student debt crisis and expect policymakers to act, regardless of who sits in the White House.”
One-third of all voters said student debt was at least a “very motivating” issue in their decision to cast a ballot this past election. The findings also highlight that student debt isn’t just a concern for college graduates—it is a central issue for working families struggling to keep up with rising costs and make ends meet.
Despite proposals to roll back protections for student loan borrowers in Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, including rolling back Income-Driven Repayment plans and eliminating Public Service Loan Forgiveness, the poll found significant bipartisan support for policy solutions to make student loan payments more affordable. This poll also shows a large gap between right-wing officials stated plans and Republican voters’ expectations for action by the incoming Trump administration: nearly two-thirds of Republican voters trust President Trump to take steps toward making college more affordable.
The findings further show an overwhelming consensus around the high cost of college: more than 75% of voters believe that college is currently unaffordable and nearly the same number think that the Trump Administration should prioritize reducing the cost of college.
Further, an overwhelming majority of voters—including majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents—support policies to build a debt-free pathway at public colleges and universities and make community colleges tuition free. Voters also noted that policies to make college tuition-free would increase the likelihood that they or their family would pursue more education and training.
A presentation providing an overview of the PBA/Seven Letter Insight poll on student debt is available here: https://protectborrowers.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-Post-Election-Poll_Protect-Borrowers-Action_Seven-Letter-Insights.pdf
A presentation providing an overview of the SBPC/Seven Letter Insight poll on the cost of college is available here: https://protectborrowers.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/2024-Post-Election-Poll_Student-Borrower-Protection-Center_Seven-Letter-Insights.pdf
PBA/SBPC Polling Round-Up
- March 2024: Overwhelming Bipartisan Majority Supports Government Action to Address Student Debt; Student Debt Relief a Top Economic Priority for Voters
- May 26 to June 2, 2023: Delivering Student Debt Relief Remains Popular Politics
- 2022 midterm: Memo on Student Debt, Democracy, and the Road Ahead; New Polling
- August 19, 2022 to 21, 2022: Widespread Support for Action to Cancel Student Debt Continues
- June 10, 2022 to June 13, 2022: New Tracking Poll Shows Voters Demand Action to Cancel Student Debt
- May 20, 2022 to May 24, 2022: Likely Voters Support Action to Cancel Student Debt by a 2-to-1 Margin
- April 30, 2022 to May 3, 2022: Latest Tracking Poll Shows Significant Federal Action on Student Debt Remains Consistently Popular Among Likely Voters
- March 17, 2022 to May 3, 2022: Overwhelming, Bipartisan Majorities of Young Voters Want President Biden to Cancel Student Debt for Everyone
- March 17, 2022 to March 21, 2022: As Restart of Student Loan Payments Approaches, Vast Majority of Latino Voters Expect Major Shift in Families’ Financial Security
- March 4, 2022 to March 7, 2022: Time for Action – Large Majority Backs Pause on Student Loan Payments
- February 18, 2022 to February 22, 2022: As Joe Biden Addresses the Nation, Voters of Color Overwhelmingly Support Action to Cancel Student Debt, Extend Pause on Student Loan Payments
- February 4, 2022 to February 6, 2022 PART 2: More than 6-in-10 Voters Want Biden to Cancel Student Debt
- February 4, 2022 to February 6, 2022 PART 1: As Inflation Soars, Large Bipartisan Majority Supports President Biden’s Pause on Student Loan Payments
- December 15, 2021 to December 21, 2021: Poll Shows Fewer than 1-in-7 People with Student Debt “Very Confident” in their Ability to Make Payments in February; Nearly Half of Borrowers “Not at all Confident”
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About Protect Borrowers Action
Protect Borrowers Action educates, activates, and mobilizes Americans with student debt to hold right-wing officials accountable for their efforts to deny borrowers life-changing relief and keep them drowning in student debt. PBA is a fiscally sponsored project of Fund for a Better Future, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization.
Learn more at borrowersaction.org.
About Student Borrower Protection Center
Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) is a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating the burden of student debt for millions of Americans. We engage in advocacy, policymaking, and litigation strategy to rein in industry abuses, protect borrowers’ rights, and advance racial and economic justice.
Learn more at protectborrowers.org or follow SBPC on Twitter @theSBPC.