Americans pin local budget crises mostly on county and state governments
Core finding
In a Verasight survey conducted Oct. 1-11, 2024, half of Americans (50%) say county or state government should bear responsibility when a local government faces a budget crisis.
The city council comes next at 27%, and 15% name the mayor; few point to taxpayers (4%), creditors and bondholders (3%), or public employees (2%).
Topline distribution
Americans pin local budget crises mostly on county and state governments.
Who do you believe should be held responsible if a local government is facing a crisis related to its budget?
n = 1,000 · Oct 1–11, 2024 · MoE ±3.4%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Oct 1–11, 2024 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.4% |
| Module | media_fin |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co
Who do you believe should be held responsible if a local government is facing a crisis related to its budget?
Cite this question
Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2024-103, fielded October 1-11, 2024, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.