# Americans pin local budget crises mostly on county and state governments

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/money/americans-pin-local-budget-crises-mostly-on-county-and-state-governments/

> Indexed question in Money & Finance.

## Reading

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

Who do you believe should be held responsible if a local government is facing a crisis related to its budget?

Americans pin local budget crises mostly on county and state governments.

- County/State government: 49.6%
- The City Council: 27.2%
- The Mayor: 14.8%
- Taxpayers: 3.7%
- Creditors/bondholders: 2.7%
- Public employees: 2.0%

## 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: 2024-10-01 → 2024-10-11
- 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

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#responsibility-for-local-government-budget-crises](https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#responsibility-for-local-government-budget-crises)

## Citation

Verasight APSA Omnibus Survey #2024-103, fielded October 1-11, 2024, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.4%.

Canonical question URL: [https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#responsibility-for-local-government-budget-crises](https://verasight-apsa-2024.tiiny.co#responsibility-for-local-government-budget-crises)