The Blubber

Two recent polls have highlighted the significance of student debt as a pressing issue for many Americans, especially as monthly payments resume and borrowers can no longer rely on President Joe Biden's forgiveness plan, which was struck down by the Supreme Court.

A Bankrate poll revealed that around half of student loan borrowers consider the student debt situation a national crisis. A similar percentage expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government's efforts to provide adequate financial assistance for those burdened by student debt.

As millions of student loan borrowers are gearing up to resume repaying their debts after a pandemic-induced pause, they won't have the support of Biden's proposed relief program, which aimed to eliminate up to $20,000 per borrower and was invalidated by the Supreme Court in June.

The Bankrate poll, conducted among 3,684 adults (including 1,400 with student debt) from June 12 to 15, also revealed that 56% of Americans believe the cost of higher education has become unmanageable. Additionally, 44% believe that students aren't well-informed about the financial implications of taking out loans for their education.

Another poll by Intelligent.com surveyed 1,000 federal student loan borrowers and found that 48% doubt their ability to afford their loan payments when they resume this fall. Roughly one-fifth of respondents stated that they "definitely won't" be able to make payments in October. A significant number, approximately 62%, indicated they are somewhat or highly likely to participate in boycotting student loan payments as a form of protest.