Contact: Jeremy Rosen
jrosen@pgpf.org
The December 2018 Fiscal Confidence Index, Modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 50 (100 is Neutral)
NEW YORK (January 3, 2019) — With a new Congress set to convene in the midst of a costly government shutdown, Americans hold deep concerns and a widespread belief that the country is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to the national debt, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s Fiscal Confidence Index. The December Fiscal Confidence Index, modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 50 (100 is neutral).
Americans enter 2019 with growing fiscal concerns, after a year that included a failed federal budget process and the implementation of irresponsible tax and spending policies. Nearly eight in ten voters agree that the national debt should be a top-three priority for the President and the new Congress (78%, up from 70% in November, including 83% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats). Only three out of ten voters believe the country is moving in the right direction in addressing the debt (31% right direction/57% wrong track), and only one-quarter expect the problem to get better over the next few years (26% better/64% worse).
“This unnecessary and damaging government shutdown is hurting American families and wasting our public resources,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation. “Across party lines, Americans are fed up with the lack of leadership in Washington that continues to grow our record levels of debt and threatens critical national priorities. As we return to trillion-dollar deficits and enter a new period of divided government, our leaders have both the opportunity and obligation to work on a bipartisan basis to put our nation on a smarter and more stable path.”
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 1,003 U.S. registered voters, surveyed by telephone between December 17, 2018 and December 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 (49) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 |
Increased a lot | 40% | 38% | 37% |
Increased a little | 24% | 24% | 24% |
Decreased a little | 10% | 15% | 15% |
Decreased a lot | 6% | 6% | 9% |
(No change) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 2% | 4% | 4% |
INCREASED (NET) | 64% | 62% | 61% |
DECREASED (NET) | 16% | 21% | 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? |
December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 |
Right direction-Strongly | 16% | 14% | 20% |
Right direction-Somewhat | 15% | 19% | 18% |
Wrong track-Somewhat | 16% | 20% | 16% |
Wrong track-Strongly | 41% | 36% | 36% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 7% | 3% | 3% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 5% | 7% | 6% |
RIGHT DIRECTION (NET) | 31% | 33% | 38% |
WRONG TRACK (NET) | 57% | 56% | 53% |
PRIORITY (24) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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? |
December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 |
Strongly agree | 49% | 43% | 41% |
Somewhat agree | 29% | 27% | 32% |
Somewhat disagree | 11% | 15% | 15% |
Strongly disagree | 7% | 9% | 8% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 4% | 6% | 4% |
AGREE (NET) | 78% | 70% | 73% |
DISAGREE (NET) | 18% | 24% | 23% |
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? |
December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 |
A lot more time | 59% | 51% | 52% |
A little more time | 24% | 29% | 28% |
A little less time | 4% | 7% | 7% |
A lot less time | 4% | 4% | 4% |
(The same amount of time) | 5% | 3% | 3% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 4% | 6% | 6% |
MORE TIME (NET) | 83% | 80% | 80% |
LESS TIME (NET) | 8% | 11% | 11% |
EXPECTATIONS (76) | |||
---|---|---|---|
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)? |
December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 |
Much better | 10% | 12% | 12% |
Somewhat better | 16% | 17% | 20% |
Somewhat worse | 27% | 31% | 26% |
Much worse | 37% | 32% | 32% |
(No change) | 4% | 3% | 3% |
(Don't know/Refused) | 6% | 6% | 7% |
BETTER (NET) | 26% | 29% | 33% |
WORSE (NET) | 64% | 63% | 57% |
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? |
December 2018 | November 2018 | October 2018 |
Very optimistic | 18% | 18% | 20% |
Somewhat optimistic | 32% | 30% | 33% |
Somewhat pessimistic | 20% | 20% | 18% |
Very pessimistic | 25% | 25% | 21% |
(Neither/Mixed) | 3% | 2% | 2% |
(Don't Know/Refused) | 3% | 6% | 5% |
OPTIMISTIC (NET) | 50% | 48% | 54% |
PESSIMISTIC (NET) | 44% | 44% | 39% |