Nonpartisan Coalition to Political Leaders: Public Dialogue Essential for Progress on Federal Budget

New Report from “Facing Up to the Nation’s Finances” Project Presents Political Leaders Six Initial Steps to Rebuild Public Trust and Improve Long-Term Fiscal Well-Being

Download the full report (PDF) || View video of ChoiceDialogue group

New York City – Public Agenda, a partner in the nonpartisan “Facing Up to the Nation’s Finances” initiative, today released a new report analyzing public thinking about the U.S. government’s fiscal future and providing political leaders with six specific, publicly supported steps so that real federal budget reform could take place. "It's Time to Pay Our Bills: Americans' Perspectives on the National Debt & How Leaders Can Use the Public's Ideas to Address the Country's Long-Term Budget Challenges" reveals the potential and obstacles in public thinking that may affect political action.

The report is based on in-depth analyses of ongoing public opinion research that began last year. “Facing Up to the Nation’s Finances” is an initiative that draws together experts from The Brookings Institution, The Heritage Foundation, The Concord Coalition, Public Agenda and Viewpoint Learning.The report is available at the initiative’s website: FacingUp.org

“While leaders who are concerned about the country’s finances despair over whether the public is really willing to take the time to think about the nation’s long-term financial future, the public itself despairs over whether leadership is willing to act,” said Peter G. Peterson, president of the Concord Coalition, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a board member of Public Agenda. “This report challenges the conventional political wisdom that Americans are apathetic and unrealistic about budget issues and sets out to help leaders understand what needs to be done to rebuild public confidence and advance concrete action to fix the nation’s finances.”

“People are relieved to hear frank discussion of the problem, its causes, potential consequences and solutions,” the report concludes. The report sets out six basic steps that would help political leaders to build public support for action on the complex issues surrounding the federal budget, starting with a call for clear, candid discussion of the issue and less compartmentalization of the subject (for example, not talking about Social Security in isolation, but as one of the biggest pieces of the federal budget pie).

“Facing Up to the Nation’s Finances” is also organizing a nonpartisan movement of citizens and leaders to engage in public dialogue to confront the long-term challenges to our nation’s fiscal future. Among those challenges are the impending retirement of nearly 80 million baby boomers, the staggering growth in health care costs and the projected, growing mismatch between federal spending and revenues that will drive up budget deficits and the accumulated national debt if reforms are not implemented. The initiative involves new forms of opinion research, public engagement and intensive involvement of national leaders in a multi-year project leading up to the 2008 presidential elections and beyond.

One of the innovative research techniques used for this report are the ChoiceDialogues conducted by partner organization Viewpoint Learning. Watch the video below to see how ChoiceDialogues work.