Democrat’s “free college” proposals might not be as popular as they appear to be.
A study by researchers at the University of Illinois found that many people who have paid off student debt, or are currently paying it off, are opposed to the idea of “free college,” because it won’t do anything to help them.
The study collected almost 2,000 online comments that appeared during the week after President Obama first announced the America’s College Promise plan last year. The comments were pulled from the White House website, and the Facebook pages for CNN Money, NBC News, and Fox News’ “Hannity.”
70 percent of the comments were opposed to the idea of tuition-free community college.
A common sentiment was, “I already paid for my education, do I get a refund?”
Many commenters also pointed out that “free” is never really free, that the cost would be shifted to taxpayers, and ultimately, the policy would be most harmful to hardworking members of the middle class.
Other studies have found that student debt disproportionately affects middle-class families, because many make too much money to qualify for financial aid packages, but not enough to keep up with rising tuition costs.
“People with student loan debt were really displeased about the prospects of others gaining social advantages because they believe their own economic position has really been compromised,” said Daniel Collier, a recent alumnus of the University of Illinois’ doctoral program in education policy.
“In recent years, the funding stream has flipped as it pertains to who pays for college—the student or the government—and many believe student-loan debt really affects the middle class more than other groups. Those with student loan debt may not support these tuition-free policies if it won’t benefit them.”
The idea of “free college” has been pervasive throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, with Senator Bernie Sanders, and now, Hillary Clinton proposing to not only waive the cost of community college, but make in-state public colleges and universities tuition-free for many students.
