Key takeaways
- Americans show signs of increasing pessimism about their personal financial situations and the economy overall.
- A majority support raising the debt ceiling.
- An effective progressive rebuttal to conservative criticisms of raising the debt ceiling focuses on the potential economic consequences including lost jobs and delayed payments to Americans, like Social Security and veterans’ benefits.
There Are Signs of Growing Pessimism on Personal Finances and the National Economy
There has been a 4-point increase in the share who rate the economy negatively since September 27th (from 68% to 72%) and a 4-point increase in the share who are “uneasy” about their personal finances (from 51% to 55%).
A Majority Support Congress Raising the Debt Ceiling
Nearly three in five Americans support Congress increasing the debt ceiling, including roughly the same share of economically persuadable Americans.
A Progressive Debt Ceiling Argument About Lost Jobs and Delayed Payments to Americans Is Most Compelling
Against a conservative argument that Democrats only want to raise the debt ceiling so they can spend more, progressive arguments about jeopardized payments like Social Security and future economic plans, as well as one about a potential economic shockwave plus jeopardized payments, are both effective – though the latter is slightly stronger.
About The Study
This release features findings from a national online survey of 1,001 registered voters conducted October 7-11, 2021. Additional interviews were conducted among 100 Hispanic voters, 100 African American voters, 100 independents without a partisan lean, and 73 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters.