Americans in the Battleground Are Unhappy with the Economy and Are Feeling its Effects

The economy remains a sticking point for many Americans in the battleground. A majority (65%) rate the national economy negatively, including more than four-in-five independents.

High costs are having a direct and personal impact. More than a third (36%) say their personal financial situation is bad. Similarly, 35% say that their personal financial situation has gotten worse over the past few months compared to just 15% who say it is better now than a few months ago. 

• Both 40% of women and 40% of people between the ages of 18 and 34 say that their personal financial situation has gotten worse over the past few months. 

For those who say their personal financial situation is worse off, they cite the cost of living and inflation as the main reasons (58%) followed by gas and grocery prices (20% and 18%, respectively). 

Overwhelming Majorities of Americans in the Battleground are Feeling the Effects of Everyday Costs 

The areas in which rising costs have been felt most include:

• 87% say grocery costs are going up. 
• 86% say utilities are going up and only 2% say the cost is going down. 
• 84% say gasoline costs are going up. 

Battleground constituents blame high gas prices on the war in Iran (40%) and Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress (28%). 

Americans in the Battleground Disapprove of Trump and Republicans in Congress Handling of the Economy, But Don’t Trust Either Party to Handle Costs 

A majority of battleground constituents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy (57%), including 51% who strongly disapprove. Notably, 66% of independents, 45% of non-MAGA Republicans, and 55% of constituents in districts that Trump won by at least 10.5 points disapprove. 

48% disapprove of their Republican representative in Congress’ handling of the economy, including half of independents. Democrats fare slightly better: 41% disapprove of their Democratic representative’s handling of the economy. 

Disapproval over congressional Republicans’ lack of focus on costs continues with 50% of battleground constituents believing that Republicans in Congress have focused on policies that make life less affordable. Just 19% say that they have focused on policies that make life more affordable and 24% say their focus is on policies that have no impact on affordability.

Negative sentiment around Republicans’ mishandling of costs is strong, however, based on data from a recent national Navigator survey, over a quarter of Americans don’t trust either party to handle inflation and the cost of living (26%), grocery prices (27%), and housing costs (26%).