A Million-Dollar Question: Can a Game Show Fix the Affordability Crisis?

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 02, 2026 – For millions of Americans, the phrase “affordability crisis” is not an abstract economic theory; it’s the daily, grinding reality of grocery bills, rent payments, and healthcare costs. Now, a decades-old foundation is betting it can change the national conversation on this crisis with a distinctly modern tool: a $1 million sweepstakes.

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), a nonprofit celebrating its 80th anniversary, has launched a national campaign dubbed “What’s Behind the Affordability Crisis?” At its heart is a simple, yet provocative, proposition: take a 10-question online quiz about the economy, and you could be one of 12 contestants flown to Atlanta to compete in a game show finale for a life-changing grand prize. The initiative is a slick, high-stakes fusion of education and entertainment, but it raises a more profound question: can a gamified quiz truly solve the public’s economic woes, or is it a Trojan horse for a specific ideological agenda?

Gamifying the Dismal Science

On the surface, the campaign's mechanics are designed for maximum viral engagement. From now until August 31, anyone can visit MillionDollarQuestion.org to take a three-minute quiz on topics shaping everyday costs, from housing and childcare to government spending. From the pool of entrants, 12 will be randomly selected to compete in the “Affordability Showdown,” a taped finale hosted by comedian and political satirist Andrew Heaton. One winner walks away a millionaire.

Heaton, known for his ability to translate complex economic concepts into digestible and often humorous content, frames the initiative as a way to connect with people on their own terms. “Affordability isn't abstract,” Heaton noted in the campaign announcement. “It's rent, groceries, childcare—stuff people deal with every day. This quiz turns that daily pressure into a national conversation.”

The strategy is a classic example of gamification—using game-like elements to drive engagement in non-game contexts. In an era of shrinking attention spans and information overload, FEE is wagering that a million-dollar lure can succeed where textbooks and policy papers fail: capturing the public’s attention. By wrapping economic principles in the thrilling package of a high-stakes competition, the foundation aims to make the “dismal science” not just palatable, but genuinely compelling.

The 'Bottleneck' Diagnosis

Beyond the flashy prize and celebrity host, however, lies a very specific economic narrative. The campaign is not just asking questions; it is providing a distinct answer. FEE's president, Diogo Costa, framed the issue succinctly: “Affordability problems are often bottleneck problems.”

This “bottleneck” theory is the intellectual core of the campaign. According to Costa, high prices are the direct result of constraints on supply. “If we do not build enough homes, train enough doctors, produce enough energy, or make it easier for businesses to serve people, the result shows up as higher prices and tighter family budgets,” he explained. The quiz, therefore, is designed to guide participants toward this conclusion—that the solution to the affordability crisis lies in removing obstacles that hinder production and service delivery.

This perspective is deeply rooted in FEE’s long history. Founded in 1946, the organization is one of the oldest free-market think tanks in the United States, established with a mission to promote principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free-market capitalism. Throughout its history, it has consistently argued against government intervention in the economy, from New Deal programs to modern regulations. The “bottleneck” framing is a contemporary application of this enduring philosophy, shifting the focus from issues like wage stagnation or corporate concentration toward problems that can be solved by deregulation and increased market freedom.

Education or Advocacy?

This brings the central tension of the campaign into sharp relief. Is the “Million Dollar Question” a neutral educational initiative or a sophisticated piece of advocacy? As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, FEE is a tax-exempt educational organization. Yet, like many think tanks, it also champions a clear and consistent ideological viewpoint. Critics of the free-market approach might argue that the quiz risks oversimplifying a complex crisis by presenting a single, ideologically-filtered diagnosis.

While the specific questions in the quiz are not public, the campaign’s framing strongly suggests that participants will be led to view government regulations, licensing laws, and spending as the primary culprits behind their financial struggles. Other potential drivers of the affordability crisis—such as insufficient demand-side support, the effects of financialization on housing, or a decline in worker bargaining power—are unlikely to feature prominently in a quiz about “bottlenecks.”

The initiative can be seen as a masterclass in narrative-setting. By pouring resources into a highly visible campaign, FEE is not just teaching economics; it is actively shaping the public’s understanding of what the core problems are and, by extension, what the acceptable solutions look like. It’s an effort to define the terms of the debate before the debate even begins.

The Million-Dollar Wager

The campaign's legitimacy as a sweepstakes appears sound, adhering to the standard “no purchase necessary” framework required by U.S. law, which distinguishes it from an illegal lottery. The million-dollar prize, while substantial, is effectively a marketing expenditure—an investment in capturing an audience far larger than FEE could ever reach through its traditional academic papers and seminars.

Ultimately, the Foundation for Economic Education is making a million-dollar bet. It is a wager that it can successfully leverage the mechanics of a modern media campaign to embed its long-standing economic philosophy into the mainstream consciousness. For the 12 finalists in Atlanta, the showdown will be about answering questions to win a fortune. For FEE, the real prize is convincing the rest of America that it already has the answers.