The Deficit Debate -- Where the Public Stands

Issued by the Pew Research Center's Program on the People and the Press, this research report details the findings of a March 2011 public opinion survey regarding Americans' feelings towards the current state of the national deficit and the political debate surrounding it. Researchers found that the budget deficit - though still very worrisome - is less likely to be cited by Americans as the major problem with today's economy than other problems like unemployment and rising prices. Most Americans support raising taxes in addition to cutting entitlements, though few seem to support cuts to entitlements when each is addressed individually (i.e. "Medicare" or "Social Security" as opposed to "entitlements" in general). Also, though most Americans find deficit reduction paramount, they also considered the individual proposals from lawmakers unacceptable. The data concerned was gathered throughout March 2011, sampling 1525 adults aged 18 and over.