Shield strategies and language on student loan forgiveness
By a margin of 58-18, Americans believe universities and colleges should be responsible for paying for the government’s $300 billion student loan forgiveness program instead of individual taxpayers.
- Americans also slightly oppose the program when it is described as a spending program using taxpayer dollar rather than as simply a debt relief program.
WHY IT MATTERS – The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program later this month. If it is upheld, Biden and Democrats will tout the program as part of their re-election effort.
HOW TO USE THIS DATA – The questions provide a shield strategy and language to blunt attacks for opposing student loan forgiveness.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Americans narrowly oppose the government’s $300 billion student debt forgiveness plan.
- This is lower support than in our May 2022 study showing modest approval of the program (58%-42%).
- The difference in support may be due to question wording. The May 2022 study described the $300 billion cost as the amount debt relief whereas this study described it as a cost to taxpayers.
- Americans overwhelmingly believe universities and colleges should be responsible for paying for the cost of the debt relief program, not individual taxpayers.
BOTTOM LINE – Reminding voters that $300 billion of student debt relief is really a $300 billion tax born by individual taxpayers lowers support for the program. Suggesting that universities pay for the program instead of individual taxpayers is an effective way of doing this.
READ THE REPORT – Click on the image below to view the slideshow or continue to read highlights of the results in the body of the article.
NARROW OPPOSITION TO WHEN DESCRIBED AS SPENDING – The poll of 2,000 likely voters, conducted by McLaughlin and Associates June 8-11, 2023, asked participants:
“The government has proposed a $300 billion spending program to forgive college student loan debt. The federal program will use taxpayer dollars to pay off up to $10,000 in student loans for individuals earning less than $125,000 per year. Do you support or oppose this proposal?”
- 23%– Strongly support
- 21% – Somewhat support
- 14% – Somewhat oppose
- 36% – Strongly oppose
Those opposing the $300 billion spending program include:
- 73% of Republicans
- 54% of Independents
- 25% of Democrats
Opposition is heavily stratified by age.
- 32% of Gen Z
- 35% of Millennials
- 49% of Gen X
- 66% of Baby Boomer+
MAKE UNIVERSITIES PAY – Participants were also asked:
“Regardless of whether you support or oppose the government’s $300 billion student loan forgiveness program, who should be responsible for paying for it?”
- 18% – Individual taxpayers
- 58% – Universities and colleges
- 24% – Don’t Know
Majority or plurality support for universities and colleges paying for the $300 billion in spending to forgive student loan debt is consistent across all age, partisan and racial groups.
This national survey of 2,000 people was conducted from June 8-11, 2023 by McLaughlin & Associates for America’s New Majority Project and has a margin of error of 2.2%.