The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic has impacted both students’ and parents’ incomes, leaving students worried about how to pay for their education.
A new survey of 1,500 undergraduates finds that about 1 in 6 (16%) have received unemployment benefits at some point during the pandemic, while one-third (33%) say someone in their immediate family has received unemployment benefits.
A majority (60%) of students are now concerned about paying for the rest of their college education. But students on financial aid are significantly more likely than students who are not to say they’re concerned (63% vs. 44%). And with more courses left to complete, freshmen are more concerned than seniors (72% vs. 53%).
Senate Republicans’ latest stimulus package cuts $400 a week from federal unemployment benefits. Almost two-thirds (64%) of students say the current $600 per week in unemployment pay should be extended past July. Just 17% of students say they should not be extended, and 19% are not sure. Students’ views differ across party lines, however. Democratic students are twice as likely as Republican students to say the unemployment benefits should be extended (77% vs. 35%).
Students Support Extended Unemployment Pay and Stimulus Checks
Percentage of students who say the federal government should do the following.
There’s more consensus on a second round of stimulus checks. Roughly three-quarters (74%) of students say Americans earning less than $75,000 a year should receive another stimulus check from the federal government. Although Democrats are more likely than Republicans to support another stimulus check, nearly half of Republicans agree (87% vs. 49%).
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 1,500 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
