Poll: Majority of Republicans and Democrats hold Trump responsible for rising cost of living
Amman3 min read
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A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that about 78 percent of Americans hold President Donald Trump's policies responsible for prices rising at a pace exceeding their income growth. It also revealed that a majority of Republicans and Democrats consider the cost of living their biggest concern ahead of the midterm congressional elections scheduled for next month.
57 percent of supporters of the Republican Party, to which Trump belongs, said that costs are rising faster than their salaries, in a clear indicator of how his policies, such as imposing tariffs on imports and the war on Iran, conflict with his main 2024 campaign pledge to eliminate inflation and lower prices "from day one."
However, inflation has risen to the point that the Federal Reserve (the US central bank) has resorted to raising interest rates to curb the price hikes, which monetary policymakers attributed to a variety of factors, including rising global energy costs following the outbreak of the war on Iran and the Trump administration's imposition of high tariffs.
Concerns related to the economy and the war have led to a decline in Trump's overall popularity to unprecedented low levels, and have negatively affected support for the Republican Party ahead of the elections scheduled for November 3, which will determine the party that will control Congress over the next two years.
About a quarter of Republicans expressed dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the economy, a percentage that rose to 63 percent among independents and 92 percent among Democrats. The dissatisfaction was greater regarding inflation, as 68 percent of those surveyed and 40 percent of Republicans expressed their dissatisfaction.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online across the United States over six days, concluding on Monday, and included 4,506 American adults. The margin of error was two percentage points for Americans in general, and three points for Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
Poll participants pointed to the cost of living as the most important issue in their decisions on how to vote, with 54 percent of participants, including 40 percent of Republicans, saying they feel it has risen significantly over the past year, compared to 30 percent who said it had risen only slightly and 10 percent who said it had not changed.
Nearly 78 percent of poll participants, including 64 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of independents, stated that part of the responsibility lies with the White House, as most Americans see tariffs as a significant cause of rising prices.
The poll provided only limited indications of people cutting their spending. About 63 percent of poll participants indicated that they are eating out at restaurants less frequently, and 56 percent said they are spending less on entertainment or digital streaming services.
