Economic Policy

As of the end of June, the federal government's total debt stands at $22.023 trillion. The nation's debt is now bigger than its GDP.

Majorities of Americans say voting in elections, paying taxes and following the law are very important to good citizenship, according to a 2018 survey.

The most export-dependent places in America often are far from big cities and are more likely to be in the South or Midwest than the coasts.

Public support for the separation of church and state is widespread in Western Europe, even in countries that have a government-mandated church tax to fund religious institutions, according to a new analysis of a recent Pew Research Center study.

In general, Western European countries that have a mandatory church tax aren’t any less religious than those that don’t have such a tax.

Sizable majorities of adults in six European countries with a mandatory tax say they pay it and few say they are likely to opt out.

When Americans are asked to make up the budget for the federal government, they have little appetite for austerity measures. Asked about 13 different government program areas, from veterans benefits to foreign aid, no more than about a quarter favor reducing spending in any specific area. The survey by Pew Research Center, conducted March 20-25 […]

As the April 15 tax deadline approaches, overall public views of the fairness of the nation’s tax system have changed only modestly since 2017, before passage of major tax legislation. However, partisan differences on tax fairness have increased considerably since then, and now are wider than at any point in at least two decades. Two […]

About half of Americans say reducing the budget deficit should be a top policy priority this year for the president and Congress.

No matter who they blamed for previous government shutdowns or how much they felt personally affected by them, most Americans have had negative opinions about them.