Pew Research: Prices and Housing Top America’s Economic Worries

Most Americans still don’t like what they see in the economy: only 26% call conditions excellent or good, while 74% say they’re fair or poor. That topline hasn’t budged much in three years—but the parties have flipped positions. 44% of Republicans now rate the economy positively (their highest since Trump’s first term), compared with just 10% of Democrats.

Why the gloom? Open-ended answers point first to everyday costs: 42% cite rising prices and personal expenses, inflation, the cost of living, and groceries. Newer drivers of negativity include Trump/GOP leadership (16%) and tariffs (12%). Among the smaller upbeat camp, 22% point to general improvement; far fewer now credit low unemployment (5%, down from 43% in 2024).

Judgments about policy are equally polarized. 53% of Americans say Trump’s economic policies have made conditions worse. Among Republicans, 47% say better; among Democrats, 87% say worse.

Looking ahead, optimism is slipping. Just 29% expect the economy to improve in a year (down from 36% in April), while 46% expect it to worsen. That drop is driven mainly by Republicans—who are still more upbeat than Democrats.

Kitchen-table worries dominate: 65% are very concerned about food and consumer prices and 61% about housing costs; 45% cite gas/energy and 42% jobs. Only 19% are very concerned about the stock market. Notably, Democrats are now more concerned than Republicans on every issue—a reversal from the Biden years.

The country shares a common anxiety about prices and housing even as interpretations and expectations split along party lines. A healthy democracy depends on leaders who can see both the shared pain and the divergent lenses—and respond with facts, restraint, and solutions that meet families where they live. Empathy and good information won’t fix prices, but they do build the trust needed to tackle them together.