Americans Support Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan

March 21, 2023
Bryan Bennett

Three in five Americans support Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debt and want the Supreme Court to allow it to go into effect

Key takeaways
  • Three in five Americans support President Biden’s plan to cancel up to $10,000 of student loan debt, and nearly as many believe the Supreme Court should allow Biden’s plan to go into effect.
  • Americans find messaging about the Supreme Court “acting against the interests of actual Americans” to be concerning, particularly when invoking Roe being overturned.
  • A majority of Americans want the Supreme Court to allow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue to exist.

Two in Five Americans Have or Had Student Loan Debt; Three in Five Continue to Support Student Loan Debt Cancellation

Majorities of Americans who have (83%), previously had (58%), or have never had student loan debt (54%) all support the proposal.

  • A majority of Republicans who currently have or used to have student loan debt support Biden’s proposal (52% support, net +10), while two in three Republicans who have never had student loan oppose it (64% oppose, net -36 support).

Majorities Want SCOTUS to Allow Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan to Go Into Effect

Majorities of Democrats (+63) and independents (+31) support the plan going into effect, as do 45% of Republicans who have/have had student loans.

The Supreme Court Acting Against Americans’ Interests, Including By Overturning Roe, Is Most Concerning

Two in three independents (65%) and two in five Republicans (41%) say the Court acting against the interests of Americans is concerning.

  • Among those who currently have student loan debt, 69% say it is concerning that “the Supreme Court doesn’t care about the financial well-being of millions of Americans” and 69% are concerned the Court is acting against American’s interest, like on Roe v. Wade.

Messaging on Student Loan Debt Erodes Views of the Supreme Court

Messaging about the Supreme Court and it potentially blocking Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness plan drives down the Supreme Court’s favorability by net 7 points overall (from net +9 favorable to net +2); even bigger declines are seen among independents (net -26 points, from net -8 to net -34), Black Americans (net -17, from net +3 to net -14), and Hispanic Americans (net -15, from net +8 to net -7).

Bipartisan Pluralities Want the Supreme Court to Allow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Continue to Exist

Seven in ten Democrats (70%), along with pluralities of independents (47%) and Republicans (43%) prefer the CFPB continue to exist.

Majorities Believe Trump Committed a Crime As President

Majorities of Democrats (net +80 yes) and independents (net +35), along with majorities in every racial group, agree that Trump committed a crime as president; only Republicans disagree (net -36).

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About The Study

Global Strategy Group conducted public opinion surveys among a sample of 1,000 registered voters from March 9-March 13, 2023. 100 additional interviews were conducted among Hispanic voters. 89 additional interviews were conducted among Asian American and Pacific Islander voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among African American voters. 100 additional interviews were conducted among independent voters.

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