As inflation and interest rates continue to rise following the national debt surpassing $40 trillion, the September U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index remains near a two-year low at 38. The latest Peter G. Peterson Foundation survey released today shows that five weeks before Election Day, voters connect America’s worsening fiscal outlook to their personal financial condition and are looking for candidates with a plan to stabilize the debt. 

The new national survey, jointly conducted by Democratic firm Global Strategy Group and Republican firm North Star Opinion Research, finds:

• 92% of voters (including 95% of Democrats, 90% of independents and 91% of Republicans) are concerned that the national debt’s effect on inflation is increasing the cost of living, including prices for groceries, energy, housing, transportation, and other goods and services.
• 89% of voters (including 94% of Democrats, 87% of independents and 87% of Republicans) are concerned that the national debt is contributing to higher borrowing costs, such as credit card interest, car loan rates, and mortgage rates.
• 95% say they are more likely to support a candidate with a plan to address the debt, including 97% of Democrats, 93% of independents and 95% of Republicans.
• 84% say a candidate having a plan to address the national debt is a factor in deciding their support in the 2026 election, including 86% of Democrats, 80% of independents and 87% of Republicans.
• 71% of voters (including 66% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 70% of Republicans) say they would consider supporting a candidate from a political party they do not usually support, if that candidate had a clear plan to address the debt.
• 94% of voters want Senate candidates this year to clearly explain their plans to prevent automatic Social Security benefit cuts, with virtually unanimous agreement in each age bracket and across party lines.

“As Election Day approaches, Americans are looking for leaders who understand that stabilizing our debt outlook is critical to addressing the affordability crisis,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation. “Financial markets are sending a message in the form of higher interest rates, reflecting deep unease about our fiscal trajectory. With Social Security set to reach insolvency in just six years, the next Senators and President we elect will be in office when huge automatic cuts kick in. For many reasons, now is the time for leaders to take our growing debt seriously and act on the many solutions available to put our nation on a stronger path.”

September’s U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index shows widespread agreement (85%) that the president and Congress should spend more time addressing the national debt. Large majorities also agree that the debt should be a top-three priority for our leaders (81% agree/14% disagree), including among 78% of Democrats, 79% of independents and 87% of Republicans.  

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 September Fiscal Confidence Index value is 38. (The August value was 38. The July value was 39.)
• The current Fiscal Confidence Index score for CONCERN about the debt is 33, indicating deep concern about the debt. The score for debt as a PRIORITY that leaders must address is 19, 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 61. 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 1,000 registered voters nationwide between September 14 and September 16, 2026. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

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