strategy and research | March 31, 2010
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The federal budget deficit is a growing problem for Americans, with a stream of mixed messages from voters. Most describe it as a crisis – outpacing even unemployment – but there is little consensus on where to cut the fat.
Spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and President Obama’s stimulus are viewed as the leading causes of the exploding budget deficit. But when push comes to shove, voters recognize the necessity of deficit spending during a recession. A majority want the stimulus spent as planned to create jobs rather than returned to pay down the deficit.
But the risks of inaction are real. More voters in the latest Democracy Corps poll co-sponsored with Tulane University continue to blame former President Bush rather than Obama for the state of the deficit, but Obama’s advantage is narrowing as he assumes more responsibility for the economy. He continues to get mixed reviews on his economic policies; just as many see them averting a crisis as see them adding to the deficit without creating jobs.
Though clear that they feel the current situation is a crisis, voters are unenthusiastic about any of the policy options presented to them. They overwhelmingly choose spending cuts over tax increases to bring down the deficit. But when asked about specific proposals to do so, few ideas achieve majority support. The deficit as a rallying cry is nothing new. In 1993, deficit reduction emerged as the centerpiece of Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential campaign and President Clinton’s economic plan. But now, as was the case then, people do not demand immediate action on reduction; rather, most people think the goal should be to “get it heading down from where it is now.” Far fewer think it needs to be cut in half or eliminated altogether in the next four years.
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