Contact: Jeremy Rosen
jrosen@pgpf.org
The November 2018 Fiscal Confidence Index, Modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 56 (100 is Neutral)
NEW YORK (November 27, 2018) — Following the 2018 midterm elections, a vast majority of voters across party lines want President Donald Trump and the new Congress to focus on America’s fiscal outlook, according to the Peterson Foundation’s Fiscal Confidence Index, a monthly measure of public attitudes about the national debt and the efforts by elected leaders to address America’s fiscal challenges. The November Fiscal Confidence Index, modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 56 (100 is neutral).
Following a hard-fought election, Americans are split in their optimism about the ability of leaders in Washington to address the record national debt (48% optimistic/44% pessimistic). However, voters are united in their belief that the nation’s leaders need to work together on a solution: an overwhelming majority (80%) say that the national debt is a problem the President and Congress should spend more time on, including large majorities of Democrats (81%), independent voters (83%), and Republicans (76%).
“With the national debt racing toward $22 trillion, and deficits growing as far as the eye can see, the vast majority of American voters want their leaders to put our nation’s fiscal house in order,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “Debt impacts every issue that Americans care about — from the economy and wages, to healthcare and education, to national defense and infrastructure. Now, with a divided government, our leaders have a critically important opportunity and requirement to come together on a bipartisan path forward.”
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 this poll by the Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research to survey public opinion on the national debt. The nationwide poll included 1,001 U.S. registered voters, surveyed by telephone between November 15, 2018 and November 20, 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? |
November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |
Increased a lot | 38% | 37% | 41% |
Increased a little | 24% | 24% | 18% |
Decreased a little | 15% | 15% | 15% |
Decreased a lot | 6% | 9% | 8% |
(No change) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 4% | 4% | 4% |
INCREASED (NET) | 62% | 61% | 58% |
DECREASED (NET) | 21% | 23% | 23% |
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? |
November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |
Right direction-Strongly | 14% | 20% | 19% |
Right direction-Somewhat | 19% | 18% | 17% |
Wrong track-Somewhat | 20% | 16% | 15% |
Wrong track-Strongly | 36% | 36% | 38% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 3% | 3% | 4% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 7% | 6% | 6% |
RIGHT DIRECTION (NET) | 33% | 38% | 36% |
WRONG TRACK (NET) | 56% | 53% | 54% |
PRIORITY (33) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |
Strongly agree | 43% | 41% | 43% |
Somewhat agree | 27% | 32% | 24% |
Somewhat disagree | 15% | 15% | 16% |
Strongly disagree | 9% | 8% | 10% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 6% | 4% | 6% |
AGREE (NET) | 70% | 73% | 68% |
DISAGREE (NET) | 24% | 23% | 26% |
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? |
November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |
A lot more time | 51% | 52% | 53% |
A little more time | 29% | 28% | 22% |
A little less time | 7% | 7% | 8% |
A lot less time | 4% | 4% | 6% |
(The same amount of time) | 3% | 3% | 4% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 6% | 6% | 6% |
MORE TIME (NET) | 80% | 80% | 75% |
LESS TIME (NET) | 11% | 11% | 14% |
EXPECTATIONS (79) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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)? |
November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |
Much better | 12% | 12% | 13% |
Somewhat better | 17% | 20% | 17% |
Somewhat worse | 31% | 26% | 26% |
Much worse | 32% | 32% | 35% |
(No change) | 3% | 3% | 3% |
(Don't know/Refused) | 6% | 7% | 6% |
BETTER (NET) | 29% | 33% | 30% |
WORSE (NET) | 63% | 57% | 60% |
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? |
November 2018 | October 2018 | September 2018 |
Very optimistic | 18% | 20% | 21% |
Somewhat optimistic | 30% | 33% | 29% |
Somewhat pessimistic | 20% | 18% | 17% |
Very pessimistic | 25% | 21% | 25% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 2% | 2% | 4% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 6% | 5% | 5% |
OPTIMISTIC (NET) | 48% | 54% | 50% |
PESSIMISTIC (NET) | 44% | 39% | 42% |