Poll Shows 76% Of Americans See Cost Of Living As Their Biggest Economic Problem

A recent survey conducted by SSRS for CNN showed that about three-quarters of Americans see the cost of living as their main economic issue. Alex Jones Live recently reported on another economic issue Americans are facing – dismal job market optimism.

The survey polled 1,499 Americans aged 18 and up from April 30 to May 4, 2026.

“[The survey] finds a surge in people naming high prices and the cost of living as the top economic problem facing their family. Strong majorities are pessimistic about the economy as a whole — almost 7 in 10 believe a recession is likely in the next year — and about their own ability to cover expenses and make purchases,” CNN said Tuesday. “Those negative feelings about the economy, with major political implications for the midterms, reflect the strain across economic, generational and partisan lines on Americans’ everyday lives. Many people are trimming their grocery lists and cutting back spending on extras, and few feel comfortably able to save.”

According to the article, paycheck growth outpaced inflation every month for nearly three years, until April. Fuel and food prices have skyrocketed since the beginning of the Iran war, and the thing which insulated the overall economy from a downturn is a widening wealth gap.

The specific concern over the cost of food and gasoline have become much more prominent over the last year.

Importantly, the negative view of the economy was not created by President Donald Trump, it began during 2021 when Bidenflation swept the nation:

The public has held a negative view of the economy for five straight years in CNN’s polling. There’s a near-universal sense that the current economic moment is a better time to save than to spend on major purchases: Eighty-eight percent feel that way, including more than 8 in 10 across income brackets.

Perceptions of the economy went south shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly because prices rose sharply and the housing market froze. Although inflation has come back down in recent years, job growth has remained surprisingly strong and consumer spending has stayed robust, people haven’t yet adjusted to higher prices. Many feel left out of an unaffordable housing market.

The Trump administration is taking action to combat the bad economy while it continues to hurt it with the Iran war.

In a bid to combat H-1B visa workers driving down U.S. wages the Trump administration is seeking to make the foreign job-takers more expensive to hire. A proposal to increase the minimum salary requirements for these workers by roughly 30 percent across multiple experience levels was introduced by the Department of Labor on March 27. It is currently open for public comment until May 26.

The President is also pushing for legislation to make homes more affordable and attainable.

“As I said at my State of the Union Address on February 25th, the American Dream of Homeownership is under attack. For example, Rachel Wiggins, a mom of two, from Houston, placed bids on 20 homes, and lost all of those bids to gigantic Investment Firms that bypassed inspection, paid all cash, and turned those houses into rentals, stealing away her American Dream — She was devastated! Stories like this are why I signed an Executive Order to ban large Wall Street Investment Firms from buying up single-family homes. Also, in my speech, I called for Congress to save the American Dream of Homeownership, and ban these purchases, PERMANENTLY! Senators Bernie Moreno and Tim Scott have worked to ensure my call becomes a reality, and have a Bill which has passed the Senate with nearly 90 votes. I am asking Congress to pass that Bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which would ensure that homes are for people, not Corporations,” Trump said on social media Monday evening.

A bad economy has far-reaching effects outside of the initial financial struggle. People experiencing poverty are much less likely to have the time or interest to push back against the police state prison planet currently being erected around them.