Young Adults Say Higher Education is More Important but Less Affordable Comes with too Much Debt, and Should be a Priority for Congress and the Economy

A national bi-partisan survey of adults ages 18-34 reveals that young adults today believe a college education is more important than it was for their parents’ generation, that it has become less affordable in the last five years, and that students are leaving school with too much debt.

Young adults of all backgrounds and across the political spectrum oppose proposals to reduce federal financial aid, either by decreasing access to Pell Grants or charging interest on student loans while borrowers are still in school. Instead, they believe Congress should make college and training more affordable, and that it is a key way to strengthen the economy as well.