According to a poll conducted by the Allstate Corp., nearly eight in 10 Americans believe the federal debt and deficit have a meaningful impact on their personal finances.

The poll results show that many view debt as an obstacle rather than an investment toward achieving financial security. More than 50 percent of respondents indicated reducing the debt and deficit should take priority over additional government spending to stimulate the economy.

Among the findings:

• Americans are more skeptical about the federal government's role in the economy, with 40 percent now identifying the government as the problem, rather than the solution, when it comes to the economy, up from 36 percent in May 2011.
• 29 percent would like to see the government play an active role in ensuring economic benefits, but are not sure they can trust the government to do so effectively.
• 71 percent of respondents say that they are not confident in Washington's ability to reduce the federal budget deficit.
• 39 percent agreed that "personal debt provides a path to achieving the American dream by making it possible for people to borrow against their future earnings," while 56 percent said that "personal debt creates an obstacle to achieving the American dream by encouraging people to spend beyond their means."