Contact: Brian Bartlett
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brianbartlett@rational360.com
Voters Have Increased Expectations for Action to Improve Fiscal Outlook
The January 2017 Fiscal Confidence Index, Modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 67 (100 is Neutral)
NEW YORK — In the early days of a new administration and Congress, voters have increased expectations for elected leaders to take action on our national debt, and remain deeply concerned about our fiscal outlook, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s January 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. The Fiscal Confidence Index, modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 67 (100 is neutral), indicating that voters prioritize the national debt as a key issue and are looking for policymakers to put our nation on a more sustainable fiscal path.
Voters are clear that they want fiscal responsibility to be a high priority as their leaders in Washington put forward proposals in areas including healthcare, tax reform, and infrastructure investment. Nearly three-quarters of voters (74%) agree the national debt should be a top-three priority for the country, including two-thirds (67%) of Democrats and 87% of Republicans. Americans also want to see the issue elevated in the administration’s early agenda, with four in five voters (80%), including three-quarters of Democrats (75%) and 86% of Republicans, believing that the president and Congress should spend more time addressing the issue.
Driven by a change in sentiment of Republican voters, Americans overall are now more evenly split on whether the country is on the right direction or wrong track on addressing the debt (37% right direction/41% wrong track in January, compared to 29%/52% in December). Republicans are 20 points more likely this month to believe the country is moving in the right direction in addressing the debt (61%) than in December (41%). Overall the debt remains a top issue of concern to both parties.
“Voters hope and expect that our new president and Congress will prioritize fiscal responsibility as a necessary component of the policy agenda,” said Michael A. Peterson, President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “Whether it’s healthcare, tax reform, or infrastructure, reforms can be made in a way that improves our nation’s fiscal condition and puts the country on a more sustainable path. Americans understand that the national debt is the one issue that affects all others, so they are calling on their leaders to ensure we have a sound fiscal foundation to support economic growth.”
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 a poll by the Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research to survey public opinion on the national debt. The nationwide poll included 1,004 U.S. registered voters, surveyed by telephone between January 23 and January 26, 2017. 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/FiscalConfidenceIndex.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key 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.
CONCERN (64) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
January 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 |
Increased a lot | 40% | 39% | 41% |
Increased a little | 23% | 26% | 22% |
Decreased a little | 10% | 12% | 13% |
Decreased a lot | 8% | 4% | 5% |
(No change) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 2% | 2% | 2% |
INCREASED (NET) | 62% | 65% | 63% |
DECREASED (NET) | 17% | 17% | 19% |
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? |
January 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 |
Right direction-Strongly | 15% | 11% | 11% |
Right direction-Somewhat | 22% | 19% | 19% |
Wrong track-Somewhat | 17% | 19% | 17% |
Wrong track-Strongly | 24% | 33% | 37% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 13% | 13% | 8% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 10% | 6% | 8% |
RIGHT DIRECTION (NET) | 37% | 29% | 30% |
WRONG TRACK (NET) | 41% | 52% | 54% |
PRIORITY (29) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
January 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 |
Strongly agree | 47% | 49% | 48% |
Somewhat agree | 27% | 28% | 27% |
Somewhat disagree | 12% | 11% | 12% |
Strongly disagree | 9% | 9% | 8% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 5% | 4% | 5% |
AGREE (NET) | 74% | 76% | 75% |
DISAGREE (NET) | 21% | 20% | 21% |
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? |
January 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 |
A lot more time | 51% | 51% | 54% |
A little more time | 29% | 29% | 24% |
A little less time | 5% | 5% | 6% |
A lot less time | 4% | 4% | 5% |
(The same amount of time) | 5% | 6% | 6% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 6% | 4% | 5% |
MORE TIME (NET) | 80% | 81% | 78% |
LESS TIME (NET) | 9% | 9% | 11% |
EXPECTATIONS (109) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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)? |
January 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 |
Much better | 13% | 15% | 15% |
Somewhat better | 31% | 25% | 24% |
Somewhat worse | 21% | 22% | 19% |
Much worse | 24% | 24% | 28% |
(No change) | 4% | 6% | 5% |
(Don't know/Refused) | 7% | 8% | 9% |
BETTER (NET) | 44% | 41% | 39% |
WORSE (NET) | 45% | 46% | 47% |
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? |
January 2017 | December 2016 | November 2016 |
Very optimistic | 26% | 25% | 25% |
Somewhat optimistic | 33% | 28% | 30% |
Somewhat pessimistic | 16% | 18% | 17% |
Very pessimistic | 16% | 19% | 21% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 5% | 6% | 3% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 3% | 4% | 4% |
OPTIMISTIC (NET) | 59% | 54% | 55% |
PESSIMISTIC (NET) | 32% | 37% | 38% |