Contact: Jeremy Rosen
jrosen@pgpf.org
The July 2018 Fiscal Confidence Index, Modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 54 (100 is Neutral)
NEW YORK (July 31, 2018) — With less than 100 days remaining until election day, American voters across party lines are calling for a renewed focus on fiscal issues, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s July Fiscal Confidence Index, a monthly measure of public attitudes about the national debt and the efforts elected leaders are making to address America’s fiscal challenges. This month’s Fiscal Confidence Index, modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 54 (100 is neutral), indicating that Americans are highly concerned about our fiscal outlook.
More than four in five voters (82%) say the national debt is an issue that they want the President and Congress to spend more time addressing, including large majorities of Democrats (85%), independents (79%), and Republicans (82%).
Additionally, a majority of voters (62%) say their level of concern about the national debt has increased over the last few years – a sentiment spanning party lines, with Democrats (71%), independents (60%), and Republicans (52%) agreeing. This concern cuts across age groups as well, with nearly two-thirds of millennials (64%) and adults 65 years and older (64%) saying they have grown more concerned about the issue.
“Less than 100 days from election day, Americans across ages and party lines agree that the national debt should be a priority issue,” said Michael A. Peterson, Chairman and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “America’s dangerous fiscal path threatens our economy and quality of life for generations to come. Americans are calling on lawmakers to take a stand and show leadership toward a sustainable fiscal future by advancing sensible policies.”
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 1,000 U.S. registered voters, surveyed by telephone between July 23, 2018 and July 26, 2018. 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 (55) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
Increased a lot | 38% | 38% | 42% |
Increased a little | 24% | 25% | 23% |
Decreased a little | 12% | 12% | 11% |
Decreased a lot | 6% | 6% | 5% |
(No change) | 16% | 15% | 16% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 4% | 5% | 3% |
INCREASED (NET) | 62% | 63% | 65% |
DECREASED (NET) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
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? |
July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
Right direction-Strongly | 17% | 18% | 15% |
Right direction-Somewhat | 17% | 16% | 16% |
Wrong track-Somewhat | 16% | 17% | 18% |
Wrong track-Strongly | 38% | 38% | 39% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 6% | 5% | 8% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 6% | 6% | 5% |
RIGHT DIRECTION (NET) | 34% | 34% | 30% |
WRONG TRACK (NET) | 54% | 55% | 57% |
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? |
July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
Strongly agree | 44% | 45% | 48% |
Somewhat agree | 27% | 27% | 27% |
Somewhat disagree | 15% | 14% | 14% |
Strongly disagree | 7% | 7% | 6% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 7% | 8% | 5% |
AGREE (NET) | 71% | 71% | 74% |
DISAGREE (NET) | 22% | 21% | 20% |
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? |
July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
A lot more time | 56% | 54% | 54% |
A little more time | 26% | 24% | 25% |
A little less time | 7% | 6% | 5% |
A lot less time | 4% | 6% | 6% |
(The same amount of time) | 3% | 4% | 6% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 5% | 6% | 5% |
MORE TIME (NET) | 82% | 79% | 79% |
LESS TIME (NET) | 10% | 11% | 10% |
EXPECTATIONS (78) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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)? |
July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
Much better | 11% | 12% | 11% |
Somewhat better | 19% | 19% | 19% |
Somewhat worse | 27% | 26% | 24% |
Much worse | 36% | 35% | 37% |
(No change) | 3% | 3% | 5% |
(Don't know/Refused) | 4% | 5% | 5% |
BETTER (NET) | 30% | 31% | 29% |
WORSE (NET) | 63% | 61% | 61% |
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? |
July 2018 | June 2018 | May 2018 |
Very optimistic | 17% | 19% | 20% |
Somewhat optimistic | 31% | 27% | 25% |
Somewhat pessimistic | 18% | 19% | 20% |
Very pessimistic | 25% | 25% | 26% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 3% | 4% | 5% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 5% | 6% | 4% |
OPTIMISTIC (NET) | 49% | 46% | 45% |
PESSIMISTIC (NET) | 43% | 44% | 46% |