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With Elections Approaching, Voters Emphasize Fiscal and Economic Issues as Key to the Nation's Future
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s September Fiscal Confidence Index, a monthly measure of public attitudes about the nation’s long-term debt and the efforts elected leaders are making to address America’s fiscal challenges, shows that Americans remain highly concerned about the country’s fiscal situation. With the mid-term election just weeks away, the Fiscal Confidence Index, modeled after the Consumer Confidence Index, is 41 (100 is neutral), indicating Americans want to see more action from their leaders in Washington as they head to the polls.
Voters overwhelmingly agree that the debt is an issue the President and Congress must focus on — 85% of voters want Washington to spend more time addressing the nation’s fiscal challenges, with eight in ten (80%) calling for the national debt to be among the President and Congress’s top three priorities.
“Voters understand that putting our fiscal house in order is vital to securing economic prosperity and growth, and are calling for our leaders to address the nation’s long-term fiscal challenges,” said Michael A. Peterson, President and COO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. “As they head to the polls, voters are sending a strong message to their elected leaders about the critical importance of securing our fiscal and 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 September 2014 Fiscal Confidence Index value is 41. A score of 100 is neutral. Values below 100 show negative sentiment, while values above 100 show positive sentiment. (August value was 43. July value was 41.)
 – The current Fiscal Confidence Index score for CONCERN about the debt is 39, indicating deep concern about the debt. The score for debt as a PRIORITY that leaders must address is 21, 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 64, indicating strong pessimism about the direction of long-term fiscal policy in the next few years. The Fiscal Confidence Index of 41 is the average of these three sub-category scores.
 – For a description of the complete methodology, see the Appendix below.
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 1,003 U.S. registered voters, surveyed by telephone between September 22 and September 25, 2014. 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/FiscalConfidenceIndexÂ
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