61% of Americans said they had to cut back on groceries

Concern about rising prices has reached a fever pitch as Americans sit down to Memorial Day barbecues across the country. A majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents said that they had changed their purchases from grocery stores to stay within budget in the last several months, according to polling from CNN.

Another 59% of Americans said they had cut back on extras and entertainment.

More than three quarters of Americans, including 55% of Republicans, said President Donald Trump’s policies had increased the cost of living in their community.

Survey after survey has found that Americans are feeling growing financial uncertainty. Nearly half of all voters gave the economy the lowest rating, “poor,” in the latest New York Times/Siena poll, up 11 percentage points since January.

And economic confidence has hit a four-year low, according to Gallup.

Gas prices have continued to soar nationally, rising above $4.50 a gallon, according to AAA.

Nearly 80% of voters -- including a majority of Republicans -- say the Trump administration is responsible for this price hike, according to polling from Fox News. Large majorities also blamed oil companies, the war in Iran and government regulations.

All in all, a solid majority of voters in the Fox poll, 57%, say that Trump’s policies have hurt the country, up from 51% who said the same one year ago.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Copyright 2026 The New York Times Company

This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 10:01 AM.