New Survey Data: Financial Strain Is Reshaping American Life
Download the results to see the full findings.
Executive Summary
A nationwide survey from Murmuration, in partnership with Voto Latino, provides new data on the severity of financial stress in America. The results show that economic anxiety is both widespread and consequential: 56% of Americans describe themselves as financially uncomfortable, either unable (17%) or just barely able (39%) to cover basic bills and expenses. Fully 71% of Americans sometimes (34%) or often (37%) worry about whether they will be able to pay their bills or afford other necessities.
For many, the traditional American Dream seems unattainable. Nearly one in three Americans (31%) say that major life milestones such as buying a home, raising a family, and retiring comfortably are mostly out of reach for them. Two-thirds (69%) agree with the sentiment that “even people who work hard struggle to get ahead.”
Economic strain cuts across party lines, but Democrats and Republicans disagree sharply on its causes. Democrats are more likely to attribute increases in the cost of living to corporate profit seeking, trade policy, and global conflict. Republicans tend to blame the COVID-19 pandemic, rising costs for energy and raw materials, and effects of immigration.
At the same time, there is broad, cross-partisan consensus on solutions: large majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents believe that rent assistance, limits on rent increases, first-time homebuyer support, and utility bill relief would all improve the financial situation of working households. These findings suggest opportunities for policy action in an otherwise divided political landscape.
These findings define the central organizing challenge of this moment: speaking to a shared economic reality while navigating entirely divergent frames about what caused it, what would fix it, and whether the political system can help at all.
Key Findings
1. Americans’ economic pain is broad and bipartisan
Only one in ten Americans (11%) are able to say that they live comfortably with no major financial concerns. For most, their experience is one of daily financial discomfort: 39% say money is tight despite being able to cover bills; another 17% find it difficult affording basic expenses at all. Americans’ top budget stressors are groceries (50%), utilities (40%), rent or mortgage (37%), and gas (32%).
Financial strain holds across party lines: 57% of Democrats describe themselves as financially uncomfortable, along with 45% of Republicans and 61% of Independents. Compared with a few years ago, 62% of Americans say everyday life has become somewhat (30%) or much (32%) harder to afford. While 75% of Harris presidential voters feel this way, 47% of Trump voters agree.
2. Bill anxiety is broadly impacting peoples’ lives and behavior
Most Americans worry about being able to pay for bills and basic necessities: overall, 37% worry often and 34% sometimes. Among Hispanic women in particular, 51% say they worry often. Unsurprisingly, financial strain is strongly associated with anxiety: among Americans having difficulty covering expenses, 89% say they worry often. For the 39% of Americans who describe themselves as just getting by, 44% worry sometimes and 48% worry often about being able to pay for necessities.
Looking ahead, 38% of Americans say they feel uncertain about their financial future and 21% expect things to get worse. Those hopeful about their financial future–36% overall–mostly tend to be Americans who are already well off. Americans who describe themselves as “not at all” financially comfortable are 10 percentage points more likely (31%) than Americans overall to believe their financial situation is going to get worse over the next few years.
In response to financial pressures, 43% of Americans have been forced to cut back on social and family activities; 36% have delayed paying a bill; 34% have skipped meals or reduced food spending; 32% have increased their use of credit cards; 28% have skipped or delayed medical care; 27% have taken on a second job or additional hours; 26% have used buy-now-pay-later services; and 26% have borrowed money from family or friends.
3. Gas prices are forcing tradeoffs beyond transportation
Nearly half (48%) of Americans have cut back on driving or travel due to higher gas prices. One in three (34%) say high gas prices have led them to spend less on other everyday essentials—meaning increased fuel costs are directly crowding out Americans’ ability to pay for food, household goods, and other necessities. Only 23% say high gas prices have had no major impact on their behavior.
4. Most Americans do not believe traditional economic goals are achievable
Only 25% of Americans feel that traditional economic goals including home ownership and a comfortable retirement are realistic for them. Another 34% say those goals are “possible but hard” and 31% say they are “mostly out of reach.” A large majority of Americans (69%) say that even people who work hard struggle to get ahead; only 22% believe hard work leads to getting ahead financially.
Fewer than half of Americans would be able to pay an unexpected $500 expense via savings or a credit card paid at the next statement. The majority, 52%, say they would need to use credit carried over time, borrow from friends or family, or sell something, with 18% saying that they simply have no way to cover it.
5. Non-voters are the most financially distressed group
Among Americans who did not vote in 2024, only 33% describe themselves as financially comfortable (26% moderately, 5% very), compared to 56% of Trump voters and 43% of Harris voters. Non-voters are disproportionately younger, politically independent, and without a college degree. Half (48%) of Other/Non-voters often worry about being able to pay their bills, and another 33% sometimes worry.
Non-voters (30%) are more than twice as likely than Harris (15%) or Trump voters (11%) to say they could not cover a sudden $500 emergency. These economic pressures affect more than financial comfort: 45% of Other/Non-voters report taking no civic action in the past month, the highest rate of civic inaction in our data.
6. Americans are polarized over the causes of price increases
Americans cite inflation (45%), government economic policies (39%), corporate greed and profit seeking (37%), and tariffs (31%) as the dominant forces driving up the cost of living in the United States over the past five to ten years. Yet opinions are sharply divided between Trump and Harris 2024 voters. Trump voters are most likely to cite inflation (50%) and immigration (39%); while Harris voters most often point to corporate greed (54%) and tariffs (54%).
Nearly all Americans (88%) believe that elected officials, including the President and members of Congress, have at least some influence over their personal financial situation: 62% “a lot” and 26% “some”.
7. Cross-partisan consensus on housing and utility relief
When asked what single change would most improve their household’s financial situation, 28% of Americans say lower costs for everyday essentials, 18% say pay that keeps up with the cost of living, 11% say lower taxes, and 11% say lower housing costs.
Housing and utility interventions dominate among a set of possible policy solutions for improving households’ overall financial security: 82% say property tax relief would be helpful (53% very helpful); 81% support utility bill assistance (49% very helpful); 78% say first-time homebuyer support (48% very helpful); 76% say limits on rent increases (51% very helpful); and 75% say rental assistance (46% very helpful). Minimum wage increases are supported by 68% and student debt relief by 64%.
There is substantial cross-partisan support for housing affordability policy. Property tax relief is rated “very helpful” by 62% of Trump voters and 48% of Harris voters. Limits on rent increases are seen as helpful by 59% of Trump voters and 90% of Harris voters. First-time homebuyer assistance is seen as helpful by 72% of Trump voters and 85% of Harris voters. Housing is the area of broadest policy agreement across partisan lines in the survey.
This data release contains the results of a Murmuration survey of 6,559 adults in the United States from March 25-April 6, 2026. Respondents included 2,413 Hispanic adults: a base sample of 973 plus an oversample of 1,440. The survey was conducted online in both English and Spanish.
The survey results are weighted by age, race, gender, education, party identification, and region to be representative of the population of adults in the United States. The general design effect due to weighting is 1.36. The survey has a margin of error of ±1.4% at the 95% confidence level, accounting for the design effect.
About Murmuration: Murmuration is a non-profit that organizes a network of partners and equips them with the insights, tools, and services needed to help communities build and activate the power to transform America into a nation where everyone thrives.
About Voto Latino: Voto Latino is a civic advocacy organization dedicated to educating and empowering the next generation of Latino voters while working to build a more inclusive and representative democracy. Since its founding, Voto Latino has registered over two million voters. In 2024, the organization took legal action to protect voting rights, filing multiple lawsuits in Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina to safeguard access to the ballot ahead of the elections.