Pavel Morda | Martin Zeman | Josef Klement
pages: 77-88; JEL classification: E61, E62, H31, H60; Keywords: Fiscal Policy, Fiscal Councils, State Budget, Government, Economic Policy; Abstract: This study examines the influence of fiscal councils on public opinion regarding fiscal issues. Using a survey-framing experiment on a representative sample of 900 inhabitants of the Czech Republic, the study evaluates how the framing of a message regarding the negative effects of rising government debt would impact the attitudes of respondents. The results show that framing the message as coming from the Czech Fiscal Council does not increase its credibility. Fiscal councils should not focus on persuading the public of their viewpoint on public finance issues, but rather utilize the knowledge of agenda-setting theory to gain media attention for fiscal issues.