The most recent poll analyzing Americans’ hopes for government spending came from The Economist/YouGov, which surveyed 1,623 U.S. adults from Oct. 24-27. When asked about increasing spending across a variety of categories, the only category with more people advocating for less spending than for more was foreign aid, where 21% wanted it to increase while 46% wanted it to decrease. This category was recently highlighted during the Trump administration’s decision to provide $20 billion in financial assistance to Argentina, a move that proved overwhelmingly unpopular, with only 21% approving and 51% disapproving.
On other items, such as national defense, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, the environment, veterans, and education, many more wanted increased funding than those who wanted decreased funding. The most popular were increased spending on veterans (71%) and Social Security (69%).
While Americans want more spending in almost every category when polled, in another poll from the Cato Institute/YouGov, an overwhelming 76% said the federal government spends too much money, and only 8% said it doesn’t spend enough. Another question found that the average person thinks the federal government should cut spending by 40% across the board, and 64% said cutting spending will mostly help the economy.
These two polls are in conflict. When presented abstractly, Americans want to cut spending. When asked about specific line items, the only popular item to cut is foreign aid. However, foreign aid accounts for only $50-80 billion of the federal budget, depending on the year, or 0.8% to 1.3% of the federal budget.
Monday, November 3, 2025
Spending Cuts: Popular in Theory, Unpopular in Practice
