Contact: Brian Bartlett
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brianbartlett@rational360.com
The March 2017 Fiscal Confidence Index, Modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 57 (100 is Neutral)
NEW YORK — Voters continue to be deeply concerned about the national debt, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s March 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 57 (100 is neutral), indicating that voters are calling on policymakers to prioritize fiscal solutions as a key part of the policy agenda.
Voters are more likely this month to say the country is currently on the wrong track in addressing the problem (51% wrong track, compared to 47% in February), while a slim majority remain optimistic about progress on the issue in the next few years (53% optimistic/40% pessimistic). Nevertheless, voters clearly want action in Washington as more than three-quarters (77%) say that the President and Congress should be spending more time addressing the debt.
“As policymakers consider reforms in a number of important areas, a consensus of voters agree that our unsustainable fiscal outlook requires immediate action,” said Michael A. Peterson, President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “Americans want the national debt to be a central part of the policy agenda because they understand that putting our fiscal house in order will help build a foundation for a growing, thriving economy. The national debt is the one issue that affects all the others.”
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 March 20 and March 23, 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 (50) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
March 2017 | February 2017 | January 2017 |
Increased a lot | 44% | 45% | 40% |
Increased a little | 20% | 22% | 23% |
Decreased a little | 9% | 9% | 10% |
Decreased a lot | 5% | 6% | 8% |
(No change) | 20% | 16% | 19% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 2% | 2% | 2% |
INCREASED (NET) | 65% | 67% | 62% |
DECREASED (NET) | 13% | 15% | 18% |
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? |
March 2017 | February 2017 | January 2017 |
Right direction-Strongly | 16% | 16% | 15% |
Right direction-Somewhat | 17% | 17% | 22% |
Wrong track-Somewhat | 14% | 14% | 17% |
Wrong track-Strongly | 37% | 33% | 24% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 8% | 10% | 13% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 8% | 10% | 10% |
RIGHT DIRECTION (NET) | 33% | 33% | 37% |
WRONG TRACK (NET) | 51% | 47% | 41% |
PRIORITY (31) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
March 2017 | February 2017 | January 2017 |
Strongly agree | 49% | 51% | 47% |
Somewhat agree | 25% | 22% | 27% |
Somewhat disagree | 13% | 11% | 12% |
Strongly disagree | 9% | 9% | 9% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 5% | 6% | 5% |
AGREE (NET) | 74% | 73% | 74% |
DISAGREE (NET) | 22% | 21% | 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? |
March 2017 | February 2017 | January 2017 |
A lot more time | 51% | 55% | 51% |
A little more time | 25% | 25% | 29% |
A little less time | 6% | 6% | 5% |
A lot less time | 4% | 3% | 4% |
(The same amount of time) | 7% | 5% | 5% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 6% | 6% | 6% |
MORE TIME (NET) | 77% | 80% | 80% |
LESS TIME (NET) | 11% | 9% | 9% |
EXPECTATIONS (90) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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)? |
March 2017 | February 2017 | January 2017 |
Much better | 14% | 16% | 13% |
Somewhat better | 20% | 20% | 31% |
Somewhat worse | 21% | 22% | 21% |
Much worse | 35% | 29% | 24% |
(No change) | 4% | 5% | 4% |
(Don't know/Refused) | 5% | 8% | 7% |
BETTER (NET) | 34% | 36% | 44% |
WORSE (NET) | 56% | 51% | 45% |
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? |
March 2017 | February 2017 | January 2017 |
Very optimistic | 24% | 28% | 26% |
Somewhat optimistic | 29% | 26% | 33% |
Somewhat pessimistic | 16% | 14% | 16% |
Very pessimistic | 23% | 23% | 16% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 4% | 6% | 5% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 3% | 4% | 3% |
OPTIMISTIC (NET) | 53% | 53% | 59% |
PESSIMISTIC (NET) | 40% | 36% | 32% |