Strong majorities across political parties show concern about the level of student debt in the United States and oppose the Department of Education’s (ED) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) recent actions to weaken protections for students, according to a new poll released by Americans for Financial Reform (AFR) and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL). The poll was conducted by the bipartisan team of Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting.
Key polling concerns on student loan debt crisis:
- Across parties, a majority of voters agree that the amount of student loan debt represents a crisis, with 90% of Democrats, 80% independents, and 74% of Republicans in agreement.
- Majorities among Black and Latinx voters, those making under $50,000 a year, those under age 30, women, and military households strongly agree that the current amount of student loan debt in the United States represents a crisis.
- Seventy-percent of voters are concerned that the ED has made it harder for state and federal law enforcement agencies to pursue wrongdoing by student loan servicers.