The U.S. budget deficit is rising amid COVID-19, but public concern about it is falling

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Pew Research Center/Drew Desilver/8-13-2020

overlay chart showing US federal revenue and spending 2018 to present“Among the collateral damage from the coronavirus pandemic has been the U.S. economy and the federal budget. The pandemic has caused massive economic disruption, and the government’s response has pushed the federal budget further out of balance than it’s been in nearly eight decades. But Americans appear to be slightly less concerned about the deficit than they have been in recent years.”

USAGOLD note:  While the general public might be less concerned about deficits than it has been in the past, veteran market observers still consider government red ink a serious problem, as do most gold investors. In 2018, 55% said the budget deficit is a “very big problem.”  Now, 47% fall in that category. Note in the chart at the left that spending is nearly double revenue.


Chart courtesy of Pew Research • • • Click to enlarge