Partisan Views on Deficit Reduction % who say reducing the deficitis a top priority.. Clinton Admin Bush Admin Obama Admin
Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who say that reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for the president and Congress rose 19 points between 2009 and 2013, but has fallen eight points over the past two years.
Pew Research Center surveys have found that, historically, the party holding the White House tends to place less importance on reducing the deficit compared with the party out of power. That remains the case today, with 72% of Republicans and 55% of Democrats rating deficit reduction as a top policy priority. But the share of Republicans who say that reducing the deficit should be a top priority has fallen 12 points (from 84%) since 2013. Among Democrats, deficit reduction declined from 67% in 2013 to 49% in 2014, before recovering slightly this year.
Partisan Views on Deficit Reduction  | % who say reducing the deficitis a top priority..  | Clinton Admin  | Bush Admin  | Obama Admin  | Republican  | 72  | 68  | Ind  | 55  | Democrat  | 2009  | 1994  | 2001  | 2015  | Survey conducted Paying Jan. 7-11 2015 From 1998: 2001 the question  | asked about Paying offthe nationaldebt.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 