Inflation remains front of mind for Americans, as few see a booming economy
Washington, D.C., March 3, 2026 – More than a year into the second Trump administration, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that nearly four in five Americans say inflation is a “very big” concern for them personally and that few describe the U.S. economy as “booming.”
Conducted days before President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address, the poll also finds that Americans have negative views of Trump’s handling of inflation and the cost of living, with his approval rating in these two areas lagging behind his ratings on crime and immigration.
Most Americans now feel President Trump owns the economy. About half of Americans say Trump would be more responsible than former President Joe Biden for various economic outcomes, both good and bad.
Detailed findings
1. Trump’s approval ratings on inflation and the cost of living continue to lag behind his overall approval rating.
- A majority of Americans say they agree that inflation is a very big concern for them personally (78%). Few feel there is “hardly any” inflation in the U.S. (16%). Just three in ten (30%) say the U.S. economy is “booming.”
- Inflation is a shared concern across partisan lines: 73% of Republicans, 86% of Democrats, and 77% of independents say inflation is a very big concern for them.
- Three in ten approve of Trump’s handling of inflation/rising prices (29%) and the cost of living (29%). This is lower than Trump’s overall approval rating (40%) as well as views of his handling of the U.S. economy (36%), immigration (39%), and crime (40%).
2. Most say Trump – not Biden – is responsible for how the economy performs, good or bad.
- A majority of Americans say Trump would be more responsible than Biden if the country enters a recession (53% Trump more responsible, 15% Biden more responsible), if inflation remains high (52%, 16%), or if living standards improve for the average American (51%, 8%).
3. Few Americans have heard “a lot” about Trump’s various policies and proposals aimed at addressing the cost of living. When asked to evaluate how these policies affect the cost of living, Americans have mixed views.
- “Restricting large investors, such as investment firms, from buying single-family homes”
- 54% have heard about this Trump executive order; 14% have heard “a lot” about it
- 45% say this policy would lower costs for Americans; 13% say it would increase costs
- “Placing a one-year cap on credit-card interest rates at 10%”
- 50% have heard about this Trump proposal; 12% have heard “a lot” about it
- 45% say this policy would lower costs for Americans; 13% say it would increase costs
- “Replacing government health-insurance subsidies with direct payments to Americans”
- 50% have heard about this Trump proposal; 12% have heard “a lot” about it
- 29% say this policy would increase costs for Americans; 22% say it would lower costs
- “Charging tariffs on imported goods from countries that don’t buy enough U.S. goods”
- 79% have heard about this Trump policy; 41% have heard “a lot” about it
- 54% say this policy would increase costs for Americans; 15% say it would lower costs
The poll also covers topics including immigration, age limits in Congress, and views of the Trump administration’s health policy decisions.
About the Study
This Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted February 18-23, 2026, by Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 4,638 general population adults aged 18 or older.
The study was conducted in English. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, education, household income, 2024 vote choice and political party identification. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2025 NPORS annual survey, with a midyear adjustment estimated across aggregated KnowledgePanel surveys accounting for changes in panelists’ party identification over time. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2025 March supplement of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or higher)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- 2024 Vote Choice (Trump, Harris, Another candidate, Did not vote)
- Political Party ID (Democrat, Lean Democrat, Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/Something else)
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.07. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Alec Tyson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
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