Contact: Sarah Stipicevic, Press Secretary
(212) 542-9265 sstipicevic@pgpf.org
The December 2014 Fiscal Confidence Index, Modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 43 (100 is Neutral)
Heading into New Year and New Congress, Voters across the Political Spectrum Agree the Nation’s Debt should be Top Priority in Washington
NEW YORK — The Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s December Fiscal Confidence Index, a monthly measure of public attitudes about the nation’s long-term debt and the efforts elected leaders are making to address America’s fiscal challenges, is 43 (100 is neutral), indicating voters’ ongoing concern about America’s fiscal future. Attitudes about the national debt remained consistently low throughout 2014, as the Fiscal Confidence Index has ranged between 41 and 49 over the last 12 months.
Heading into a new year with a new Congress, Americans overwhelmingly feel that the debt should be a primary focus for lawmakers in Washington. Fully eight in ten (80%) agree that the issue should be one of the top three priorities for the President and Congress, including six in ten (60%) who agree strongly. Voters across the political spectrum agree on the urgency of the problem, as approximately seven in ten (69%) Democrats, eight in ten (81%) Independents, and nine in ten Republicans (90%) agree that the debt should be one of the top three priorities in Washington.
Michael A. Peterson, President and COO of the Peterson Foundation, said, "Despite the recent improvement in short-term deficits, Americans fully understand that our Nation’s long-term fiscal challenges remain. Looking ahead to 2015 and a new Congress, voters are calling for renewed focus in Washington on addressing our long-term fiscal and economic challenges. As Washington gets to work in January, Americans expect their leaders to stabilize the debt in order to lay the fiscal foundation necessary for a growing and prosperous economy, now and in the future."
The Fiscal Confidence Index measures public opinion about the national debt by asking six questions in three key areas:
The survey results from these three areas are weighted equally and averaged to produce the Fiscal Confidence Index value. The Fiscal Confidence Index, like the Consumer Confidence Index, is indexed on a scale of 0 to 200, with a neutral midpoint of 100. A reading above 100 indicates positive sentiment. A reading below 100 indicates negative sentiment.
Fiscal Confidence Index Key Data Points:
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation commissioned the poll by the Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research to survey public opinion on the national debt. The nationwide poll included 1,006 U.S. registered voters, surveyed by telephone between December 15 and December 18, 2014. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. The poll examined voters’ opinions on the national debt, political leadership, and America’s fiscal and economic health.
Detailed poll results can be found online at: www.pgpf.org/what-we-are-doing/education-and-awareness/fiscal-confidence-index
About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key long-term fiscal challenges threatening America's future, and to accelerating action on them. To address these challenges successfully, we work to bring Americans together to find and implement sensible, long-term solutions that transcend age, party lines and ideological divides in order to achieve real results. To learn more, please visit www.pgpf.org.
APPENDIX: Fiscal Confidence Index Methodology and Questions
CONCERN (37) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Thinking about our national debt over the last few years, would you say your level of concern has increased or decreased? ◊ Is that a lot or just a little? |
Dec 2014 | Nov 2014 | Oct 2014 | |
Increased a lot | 48% | 47% | 44% | |
Increased a little | 19% | 19% | 22% | |
Decreased a little | 10% | 10% | 13% | |
Decreased a lot | 6% | 7% | 7% | |
(No change) | 16% | 15% | 12% | |
(Don't Know/Refused) | NA | 1% | 2% | |
INCREASED (NET) | 67% | 67% | 66% | |
DECREASED (NET) | 16% | 17% | 20% | |
When it comes to addressing our national debt, would you say things in the United States are heading in the right direction or do you think things are off on the wrong track? ◊ Do you feel that way strongly or just somewhat? |
Dec 2014 | Nov 2014 | Oct 2014 | |
Right direction-Strongly | 7% | 8% | 8% | |
Right direction-Somewhat | 16% | 15% | 17% | |
Wrong track-Somewhat | 18% | 18% | 18% | |
Wrong track-Strongly | 49% | 46% | 45% | |
(Neither/Mixed) | 8% | 7% | 6% | |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 3% | 6% | 5% | |
RIGHT DIRECTION (NET) | 23% | 24% | 26% | |
WRONG TRACK (NET) | 67% | 63% | 63% |
PRIORITY (23) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Some people say that addressing the national debt should be among the President and Congress' top 3 priorities. Do you agree or disagree? ◊ Do you feel that way strongly or just somewhat? |
Dec 2014 | Nov 2014 | Oct 2014 | |
Strongly agree | 60% | 56% | 54% | |
Somewhat agree | 20% | 25% | 23% | |
Somewhat disagree | 10% | 10% | 9% | |
Strongly disagree | 7% | 6% | 10% | |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 3% | 4% | 3% | |
AGREE (NET) | 80% | 81% | 78% | |
DISAGREE (NET) | 17% | 16% | 19% | |
And when it comes to our national debt, do you think it is an issue that the President and Congress should spend more time addressing or less time addressing? ◊ Would you say a lot (more or less) time or just a little? |
Dec 2014 | Nov 2014 | Oct 2014 | |
A lot more time | 60% | 60% | 61% | |
A little more time | 24% | 22% | 21% | |
A little less time | 5% | 6% | 7% | |
A lot less time | 4% | 4% | 4% | |
(The same amount of time) | 4% | 4% | 3% | |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 3% | 4% | 4% | |
MORE TIME (NET) | 84% | 82% | 82% | |
LESS TIME (NET) | 9% | 11% | 12% |
EXPECTATIONS (71) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
And thinking about our national debt over the next few years, do you expect the problem to get better or worse? ◊ Is that much (better or worse) or just somewhat (better or worse)? |
Dec 2014 | Nov 2014 | Oct 2014 | |
Much better | 7% | 7% | 7% | |
Somewhat better | 19% | 18% | 18% | |
Somewhat worse | 28% | 30% | 29% | |
Much worse | 34% | 35% | 33% | |
(No change) | 8% | 5% | 5% | |
(Don't know/Refused) | 5% | 5% | 7% | |
BETTER (NET) | 25% | 25% | 26% | |
WORSE (NET) | 62% | 65% | 62% | |
And when it comes to our national debt, are you optimistic or pessimistic that the United States will be able to make progress on our national debt over the next few years? ◊ Would you say you are very (optimistic or pessimistic) or just somewhat? |
Dec 2014 | Nov 2014 | Oct 2014 | |
Very optimistic | 18% | 16% | 18% | |
Somewhat optimistic | 29% | 29% | 32% | |
Somewhat pessimistic | 20% | 19% | 17% | |
Very pessimistic | 28% | 29% | 26% | |
(Neither/Mixed) | 4% | 4% | 3% | |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 2% | 3% | 4% | |
OPTIMISTIC (NET) | 47% | 45% | 50% | |
PESSIMISTIC (NET) | 48% | 48% | 43% |