From groceries to gas, Americans say they’re spending more under Trump

A majority of Americans say they are spending more on groceries and utilities than they were a year ago, and they blame President Donald Trump for the rising prices, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll finds.

About 7 in 10 Americans say their grocery costs have risen in the past year, while about 6 in 10 say their utility costs have edged higher, according to the poll, conducted in late October. Roughly 4 in 10 say the same about health care, gas and housing. The findings reflect angst about the cost of living, which emerged as a key issue in the off-year elections across the country on Tuesday.

“Even as inflation has gone down, people are still struggling with very high price levels for food, energy and health care,” said Sophie Mitra, an economics professor at Fordham University. “The rate of increases has slowed, but things are still very difficult, especially for low- and middle-income households.”

Americans’ discontent reflects government data showing that inflation is slowly worsening. Utility costs, in particular, have jumped 12% in the past year, according to data from September. Grocery prices have risen by 3%, though some categories have recorded more dramatic increases. Meat prices, for example, have climbed more than 8% since last year, while canned fruits and vegetables are up 5%. Coffee has gone up by nearly 19%.

Roughly 6 in 10 Americans blame Trump “a great deal” or “a good amount” for the current rate of inflation and rising prices, the Post-ABC-Ipsos survey found. About two-thirds of independents (66%) and 92% of Democrats blame him, compared with 20% of Republicans.

The poll also found that 65% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of tariffs and that 62% disapprove of his handling of the economy, both figures little changed from April.

Responses were split across party lines, particularly for food expenses: 89% of Democrats, 73% of independents and 52% of Republicans report spending more on groceries compared with a year ago. Overall, Democrats were more than 30 percentage points likelier than Republicans to say they are spending more on a range of necessities, including gas, health care and housing.

Rising prices made affordability a key political issue in Tuesday’s elections. Despite their differing ideological views, Democrats running in Virginia, New Jersey and New York centered their campaigns on addressing cost-of-living issues. Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat elected as the first Muslim American mayor of New York, has focused heavily on making the city more affordable through proposals such as universal child care, free buses and city-owned grocery stores.

“Every politician says New York is the greatest city on the globe,” Mamdani said in his first campaign ad. “But what good is that if no one can afford to live here?”

In Palmerton, Pennsylvania, Vicki Sestok is paying 30% more per kilowatt-hour of electricity than she was a couple of months ago. She and her husband, who have already switched to LED lights and installed a heat pump, are running out of ways to cut costs, she said.

“The house will just have to be cooler this winter,” said Sestok, 57, who voted for former vice president Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. “We’re going to have to put on an extra sweater, and that’s going to be that.”

The rising utility bills are just one of the challenges squeezing Sestok’s finances. Her daughter, a chemist, recently lost her job because of funding cuts, and her son, who is disabled, has yet to get his latest round of SNAP benefits. “I’m helping out on both ends,” she said.

Food costs are also inching up, she said. Sestok spends between $200 and $250 a week on groceries, at least $70 more than she used to.

Although the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariffs have yet to dramatically reignite inflation, there are signs that they are pushing up the price of certain goods, such as toys and cars. Economists warn that it could take months for the full effects of those policies to show up, leaving many business owners and household on edge.

More than 6 in 10 Americans say tariffs contribute to inflation, the poll found. And nearly 6 out of 10 Americans believe tariffs harm the U.S. economy, including 88% of Democrats and 64% of independents. However, nearly half of Republicans say the U.S. economy is improved by tariffs.

By 45% to 28%, more people say they believe tariffs hurt U.S. manufacturing companies, although 56% of Republicans say the levies will help domestic producers.

Spencer Williamson, who works in medical sales in Tempe, Arizona, says he’s feeling better about the economy than he was a year ago. The 34-year-old voted for Trump and says he’s hopeful that the president’s plan to revive manufacturing and create new jobs will lead to long-term change. In the meantime, he has been happy to see his grocery bill stay steady.

“Certain things seem to be stabilizing,” he said. “But, of course, there are still hurdles. House prices are still too expensive. It’s hard to feel great about the economy.”

• The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll was conducted online Oct. 24-28 among 2,725 U.S. adults. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

• Dan Merica and Scott Clement contributed to this report.