Poll: Economic anxiety rises over job prospects

Americans are growing increasingly concerned about their ability to find a good job under President Trump, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds, in what is a potential warning sign for Republicans as a promised economic boom has given way to hiring freezes and elevated inflation.

- BY JOSH BOAK AND LINLEY SANDERS

HIGH prices for groceries, housing and healthcare persist as a concern for many households. Above, in Dallas.

(LM OTERO Associated Press)

High prices for groceries, housing and healthcare persist as a fear for many households, while rising electricity bills and the cost of gas at the pump also are sources of anxiety, according to the survey.

About 47% of U.S. adults are “not very” or “not at all confident” they could find a good job if they wanted to, an increase from 37% when the question was last asked in October 2023.

Electricity bills are a “major” source of stress for 36% of U.S. adults at a time when the expected build-out of data centers for artificial intelligence could further tax the power grid. Slightly more than half said the cost of groceries are a “major” source of financial stress, about 4 in 10 said the cost of housing and healthcare were a serious strain and about one-third said they were feeling high stress about gasoline prices.

The survey suggests an ongoing vulnerability for Trump, who returned to the White House in January with claims that he could quickly tame the inflation that surged during Democratic President Biden's term. Instead, Trump’s popularity on the economy has remained low amid a mix of tariffs, federal worker layoffs and partisan sniping that has culminated in a government shutdown.

Linda Weavil, 76, voted for Trump last year because he “seems like a smart businessman.” But she said in an interview that the Republican’s tariffs have worsened inflation, noting that the chocolate-covered pecans sold for her church group fundraiser now cost more.

“I think he’s doing a great job on a lot of things, but I’m afraid our coffee and chocolate prices have gone up because of tariffs,” said the retiree from Greensboro, N.C. “That’s a kick in the back of the American people.”