High Prices Put the Economy at the Center of America's Political Conversation

The price of groceries, gasoline and other necessities can turn broad economic debates into something much more immediate: a number on a receipt or a total at the gas pump. A new AP-NORC poll finds that Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the country's economic direction and that a majority now attributes persistently high prices to President Donald Trump's policies.

According to the poll, only 26% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of the economy, the lowest figure recorded by AP-NORC during his second term. Just 17% approve of his handling of the cost of living. The poll was conducted September 24-28 among 2,140 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Sixty-five percent of respondents said Trump's policies were more responsible for persistently high prices than factors outside his control. That represents a notable change from the public's view of inflation before the 2022 midterm elections, when 44% attributed higher prices to President Joe Biden's policies and 55% pointed to factors outside his control.

The survey also found that Americans are increasingly concerned about basic household expenses. About half said they were extremely or very concerned about being able to afford gasoline, compared with 39% in July. A similar share expressed high concern about being able to afford food.

The poll does not mean Americans share a single explanation for higher prices. Republican respondents were substantially more likely than Democrats to say factors outside Trump's control were responsible. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans said outside factors were more responsible, according to AP-NORC, illustrating a substantial partisan difference in how the economy is being interpreted.

Trade policy is another source of dissatisfaction in the survey. Only about three in ten Americans approve of Trump's handling of trade negotiations, while 64% say he has gone too far in imposing new tariffs on other countries. The poll also found that roughly seven in ten Americans consider his handling of the cost of living worse than expected.

The economic numbers sit within a wider assessment of the administration. Only about three in ten Americans approve of Trump's overall job performance, while roughly six in ten say the country is worse off than when he began his second term. At the same time, border security remains an area where about half of Americans approve of his performance.

The poll provides a measurement of public opinion rather than a direct measure of the causes of inflation or household finances. Economic prices are influenced by numerous factors, including energy costs, supply conditions, interest rates, tariffs and international developments. The survey instead captures how Americans currently understand those pressures and how they assess the president's handling of them.

With the November midterm elections approaching, the economic figures provide an important snapshot of public sentiment at this particular moment. Whether that sentiment changes will depend on future prices, economic conditions and political developments, but the latest AP-NORC survey makes one point clear: the cost of living has become a central measure by which many Americans are judging the current state of the economy.

AI Image Disclaimer: The accompanying visual is AI-generated and serves as a conceptual illustration of the economic conditions described in the report.

Sources: Associated Press AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Reuters Axios