Gallup: 55% of Americans say their finances are worsening, the highest share in 25 years
A Gallup poll released Tuesday found 55% of Americans say their financial situation is getting worse, the highest share since the survey began 25 years ago and up from 53% last year. Higher inflation and the gas-price surge tied to the US-Israeli war on Iran are squeezing household budgets nine months out from the midterms.
A Gallup poll released Tuesday found 55% of Americans say their financial situation is getting worse — the highest share recorded since the survey began 25 years ago. The figure is up from 53% last year and 47% in 2024, and exceeds anything Gallup measured during either the pandemic or the 2008 financial crisis.
The poll, conducted April 1-15, marks the fifth consecutive year in which more Americans say their finances are deteriorating than improving. Asked to identify their most important financial problem, 31% of respondents pointed to the cost of living. Energy costs were named by 13%, up 10 percentage points year on year and the highest reading since 2008.
The numbers crystallise the political problem the gas-price surge has created for President Donald Trump and Republicans heading into the midterms. The average price of a gallon of gasoline stands at $4.11 according to AAA, up from under $3 before the US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February. Inflation remains lower than its 2022 peak but is still elevated against where it stood when Trump previously took office, and many Americans blame the president personally for the recent rise.
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