As lawmakers return to Washington after the longest government shutdown in history, American voters are calling on their representatives to prioritize responsible budgeting that would improve our fiscal outlook. The U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index is 50 (100 is neutral), reflecting deep concern about the rising national debt, which surpassed $38 trillion during the shutdown, just 70 days after exceeding $37 trillion.

According to the latest monthly survey commissioned by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, 82% of voters believe lawmakers should spend more time addressing the national debt — tying the highest percentage this year. Additionally, 79% of voters agree reducing the debt should be a top-three priority for the president and Congress, including 73% of Democrats, 75% of independents and 86% of Republicans.

“Soaring past $38 trillion in debt during the longest shutdown in U.S. history is a clear sign that we need a renewed commitment to fiscal sanity and responsible budgeting,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation. “With the government now reopen, this survey shows that strong majorities of voters across party lines want their leaders to get to work on solutions to put our national debt on a more sustainable path. Our nation is accumulating debt faster than ever, so now is the time to act to improve our economic future.”

The Fiscal Confidence Index measures public opinion about the national debt by asking six questions in three key areas:

• CONCERN: Level of concern and views about the direction of the national debt.
• PRIORITY: How high a priority addressing the debt should be for elected leaders.
• EXPECTATIONS: Expectations about whether the debt situation will get better or worse in the next few years.  

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 November 2025 Fiscal Confidence Index value is 50. (The October value was 46. The September value was 46.)
• The current Fiscal Confidence Index score for CONCERN about the debt is 47, indicating deep concern about the debt. The score for debt as a PRIORITY that leaders must address is 24, indicating that Americans want elected leaders to make addressing long-term debt a high priority. The score for EXPECTATIONS about progress on the debt is 81. The Fiscal Confidence Index is the average of these three sub-category scores.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation commissioned this poll by Democratic firm Global Strategy Group and Republican firm North Star Opinion Research. The online poll surveyed 1,004 registered voters nationwide between November 17 and November 19, 2025. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

Detailed results can be found online at www.pgpf.org/FiscalConfidenceIndex.