Opinion SpaceWhat Americans think, since 1948

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Fed SHEDSL25_aEconomy, work, & money › Banking & credit Economy, work, & money › Personal financesbehavior

I had unexpected expenses - Which of the following contributed to why you most recently had difficulty making student loan payments?

Did unexpected expenses contribute to your recent difficulty making student loan payments?

Loan payment difficulty due to unexpected expenses · Asked in 1 wave, 2025 · 448 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses

Percentages ofpeople who answered everyone asked

Crosstab

Age Sex Race & ethnicity Education Income Region Community

Not selectedI had unexpected expenses

Group	Not selected	I had unexpected expenses	n	MoE
All respondents	63%	37%	448	±5
18–29	67%	33%	133	±9
30–44	62%	38%	149	±8
45–64	58%	42%	133	±9
65+ †	70%	30%	33	±18

SHED 2025 · US adults 18+. Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.

Answers as the source codes them

Not selectedI had unexpected expensesRefused (non-answer)

Waves

Poll	Field dates	Mode	Respondents	Responses
SHED 2025 9 imputed values recoded to -1.	2025-10-17 to 2025-10-28	web	12,934	448