Dive Brief:
- A new Gallup-Purdue Index survey of college graduates has found that those with undergraduate student loan debt are more likely than non-borrowers to report deficits in their sense of well-being.
- Specifically, the survey found that the graduates with student loans were less likely to report that they were thriving financially, in their health and daily energy levels, in their motivation to achieve their goals, and in their community.
- The one area where borrowers and non-borrowers alike reported similar feelings that they were thriving was in their social lives, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
Dive Insight:
The authors of the report say the results of the survey don’t necessarily mean that student debt causes the deficits in well-being — there could be other factors that lead to borrowing for college and are responsible for well-being, such as the student's family income. The survey, conducted by a partnership of the Gallup polling firm and Purdue University, polled more than 11,000 adults who graduated from 1990 to 2014, including 59% who still carried outstanding student loan debt.
