Dear John,

The holidays are a great time to relax, unwind, and spend meaningful time with your family and loved ones. While gift-giving is customary this time of year, it can also feel overwhelming with the financial obligations of the holidays. In addition, family dinner-table conversations may revolve around finances and for many of us, compounding student loan debt.

While Americans of all generations are hit by this crisis, young people are disproportionately affected by student debt. And the problem is only growing as college education becomes even more expensive and necessary for getting hired. About ⅓ of all young adults aged 25-34 have student debt.The student debt crisis is forcing young people to wait on many milestones like getting married, buying a house, or having children.

So, while you are spending time with your lovely and inquisitive family, we have provided some fact-filled answers to some of the most frequently heard comments:

Q: “How are those student loan payments going?”

A: “Well, they're tough but I'm not the only one struggling. Did you know that Americans collectively owe 1.5 trillion dollars in federal student loan debt? That’s more than 1.5 times what Americans owe on their credit cards!”

Q: “In my day I could pay for my whole college tuition working a summer job!”

A: “Did you know that the average annual increase in college tuition from 1980-2014 grew by nearly 260%, compared to the nearly 120% increase in all consumer items? That doesn’t even take into account the fact that wages have been stagnant too!

Q: “That Betsy Devos isn’t the worst Secretary of Education.”

A: “Did you know that she’s rolled back major protections for students in favor of shady for-profit colleges and badly behaving debt collectors?

Looking for some more accessible facts, figures, and tangible actions you can take to combat the student debt crisis? Check out our short explainer video!

Thanks for being in this fight,

Charlotte Hancock
Communications Director
Generation Progress