student loan cancellation
relief of student loan debt
--Agreed Upon Solutions

Executive Summary

The survey shows strong public backing for student‑loan relief, viewing recent PPP loan forgiveness as a precedent and favoring concrete alternatives such as interest‑free loans or tax deductions.

  • 87‑97% see the PPP loan cancellation analogy as supporting student‑loan cancellation.
  • 71‑84% characterize Republican opposition to loan forgiveness as a travesty.
  • 89‑97% support making student loans interest‑free if full cancellation is not feasible.
  • 73‑98% favor a tax deduction for student‑loan interest.
Key Takeaway

Interest‑free loans emerge as the most widely supported fallback policy.

What People Believe

PPP loan cancellation analogy

The comment claims that canceling PPP loans is presented as a precedent for canceling student loan debt. Agreement with this claim ranges from 87% to 97%. The interpretation suggests that if large PPP loan forgiveness is possible, student debt should be treated similarly, implying parity between businesses and individuals.

Republican opposition criticized

The comment portrays Republicans as obstructing student loan cancellation, describing it as a travesty. Agreement with this characterization ranges from 71% to 84%. The interpretation expresses disapproval of Republican efforts to block loan forgiveness, framing it as a wrongful action.

Suggested Policies and Actions

Make student loans interest-free if cancellation is not feasible

Federal legislators should enact legislation to set the interest rate on existing and future federal student loans to 0% when full debt cancellation is not implemented. Poll respondents indicated strong support for this interest‑free alternative, with 89‑97% agreement. The proposal is framed by the public’s view that large‑scale loan forgiveness such as PPP loan cancellations sets a precedent for treating student debt similarly, suggesting that an interest‑free measure is a reasonable fallback when cancellation is not feasible.

Allow tax deduction for student loan interest

Federal legislators and the Treasury Department should create a tax provision allowing borrowers to deduct interest paid on student loans, similar to mortgage interest deductions. Poll respondents suggested this tax relief, with 73‑98% agreement. The recommendation gains relevance given political opposition to outright loan cancellation, which some respondents describe as a travesty, highlighting the need for alternative relief mechanisms.

Vote Details

Comment
If we can cancel million a of dollars in PPP loans, we can cancel student debt. Americans are not worth less money than businesses.
--anonymous

Vote Details

Observation
It's a travesty that Republicans keep trying to stop student loan cancellation.
--albertj

Vote Details

Proposal
If we can't cancel student dept, we should make it interest free.
--albertj

Vote Details

Proposal
there should be a tax deduction available for interest on student loans (similar to mortgage)
--anonymous