Budgets and Taxes
In late 2008, FrameWorks began a multi-year investigation of American thinking about budgets and taxes. Building on FrameWorks’ research of how Americans think about government, the goals of this project are to understand the underlying assumptions Americans have about budgets and taxes, and to develop more productive strategies for communicating about these issues.
Funders | Recommendations | Research | Related Reports
Our Funders
Support for FrameWorks' research and message development on Budgets and Taxes was provided by Demos, Kansas Action for Children, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Our Recommendations
Framing Budgets and Taxes: A FrameWorks Message Memo (2009) This interim report synthesizes our early qualitative research findings from research conducted in 2009. NOTE: a revised Message Memo that incorporates more recent research is forthcoming, Fall of 2010.
Our Research
Like Mars to Venus: The Separate and Sketchy Worlds of Budgets and Taxes (2009) This report uses cognitive interviews to investigate Americans’ thinking about budgets and taxes- both as separate issues and as they relate to each other. FrameWorks researchers found that the concepts of budgets and taxes remain largely unconnected in the minds of Americans. This gap in public understanding is explored and possible opportunities for reframing this issue are suggested.
Having Our Say: Getting Priority, Transparency and Agency into the Public Discourse on Budgets and Taxes (2009) This second phase of research uses group discussions to test potential reframes that were generated in the cognitive interviews. This method helps to show how Americans negotiate these issues in group settings and in public discussions. Recommendations for improved communications strategies are provided.
New An Ounce of Prevention: Experimental Research in Strategic Frame Analysis™ to Identify Effective Issue Frames for Public Budgeting and Taxation Systems (2010). This report details the results of an experimental survey of 6,700 registered voters and evaluates whether alternative ways of communicating can bridge the gap between expert and lay understandings of the US budgeting and taxation systems. Although advocates typically use the Crisis frame or simply give descriptive information to the public about the state of fiscal policies, this research suggests that neither approach is likely to move support for policies that reform our system of budgets and taxes.
Related Reports
How To Talk About Government: A FrameWorks Message Memo (2006) distills the research on government that was conducted prior to this project and explains the recommended strategies to communicate more effectively about government.
