Behind the Numbers Archive: Federal Budget Deficit

Poll: Deficits haven't changed public priorities

Despite the fierce political battle over federal spending and budget cutting, a newly released poll confirms that little changed in American spending priorities between 2008 and 2010, the heart of the recession.

By Peyton M. Craighill  | March 9, 2011; 9:43 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Federal Budget Deficit  
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The politics of blame, shutdown edition

People say they would apportion blame about evenly between the Obama administration and the Republicans in the event of a government shutdown. Some 36 percent in a new Washington Post poll conducted with the Pew Research Center say they'd blame Republicans and 35 percent Obama, with 17 percent volunteering that they'd blame both.

By Peyton M. Craighill  | March 1, 2011; 9:37 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (11)
Categories:  Congress, Federal Budget Deficit  
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Ratings on Obama's handling of the deficit

Most Americans disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the federal budget deficit, but head-to-head against the Republicans in Congress, the president appears to be in better political shape than former president Bill Clinton was at the start of his year-long budget fight with the Republicans in 1995.

By Jon Cohen and Peyton M. Craighill  | February 15, 2011; 10:37 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (15)
Categories:  Barack Obama, Federal Budget Deficit  
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Pew poll shows big GOP divisions on spending

A new analysis from the Pew Research Center shows how a deep split among the Republican Party about government spending.

Republicans who agree with the tea party political movement tend to be much more likely than those who don't to say that spending should be decreased. On 13 out of 18 areas of federal spending tested in the new Pew poll, tea party Republicans are at least 14 percentage points more apt than other Republicans to want cuts.

By Jon Cohen  | February 11, 2011; 5:32 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Federal Budget Deficit, Republican Party  | Tags:  Budget deficit; poll; economy poll, Pew Research Center  
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New poll, same public resistance to cuts

A big obstacle for House Republicans eager to slash the federal budget deficit may be that Republicans nationally tend to shy away from spending cuts in many major government programs.

By Jon Cohen  | February 10, 2011; 6:07 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (35)
Categories:  Economy, Federal Budget Deficit  | Tags:  Budget deficit; poll; economy poll  
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Policy priorities for the year ahead

President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday offers an opportunity to focus the nation's attention on the policy priorities for the year ahead - but the public is already honed in on Topic A, the economy.

By Peyton Craighill  | January 24, 2011; 12:11 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Barack Obama, Congress, Economy, Federal Budget Deficit, Health care, Immigration  
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