Report · Culture

Three-in-ten Americans say they or family members have student loans

Reading

In a Verasight survey of 3,000 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 22 to 29, 2025, 28% of Americans said they or someone in their immediate family currently has outstanding student loans.

About seven-in-ten said neither they nor a family member has outstanding loans (72%).

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

28% of Americans say they or a family member has outstanding student loans.

Do you - or does anyone in your immediate family - currently have outstanding student loans?

  • No 71.8%
  • Yes 28.2%

2025 · base n 3,000 · +/- 3.3%

Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2025-119

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-09-22 → 2025-09-29
Base (unweighted)
3,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2025-119

Source

  • 01
    Three-in-ten Americans say they or family members have student loansreports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-apsa-omnibus-survey-2025-119

Citation

Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2025-119, fielded September 22-29, 2025, N=3,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/verasight-apsa-omnibus-survey-2025-119#do-you-or-does-anyone-in-your-immediate-family-currently-have-outstanding-student-loans

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
AAPOR transparency standards.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.