Nearly half of U.S. adults aren’t confident they could find a good job

According to the survey, rising grocery, housing and health care prices remain a fear for many families, while rising electricity bills and the cost of gas at pumping stations are also sources of concern.

About 47% of US adults are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” that they could find a good job if they wanted to, up from 37% when the question was last asked in October 2023.

Electricity bills are a “major” source of stress for about 36% of US adults, at a time when the expected construction of artificial intelligence data centers may impose additional taxes on the electricity grid. Just over half said the cost of groceries is a “major” source of financial stress, about 4 in 10 said the cost of housing and health care is a serious stressor, and about a third said they feel a lot of stress about gasoline prices.

The poll indicates continued weakness for Trump, who returned to the White House in January with claims that he could quickly curb inflation that rose after the pandemic during the term of Democratic President Joe Biden. Instead, Trump’s popularity on the economy has remained low amid a combination of tariffs, federal layoffs and partisan sniping that culminated in a government shutdown.

Linda Wavell, 76, voted for Trump last year because he “seems like a smart businessman.” But she said in an interview that Republican tariffs had exacerbated inflation, citing chocolate-covered pecans sold as a fundraiser for her church group that now cost more.

“I think he does a great job on a lot of things, but I’m afraid our coffee and chocolate prices have gone up because of the tariffs,” said the retiree from Greensboro, North Carolina. “This is a kick in the back of the American people.”

Voters have changed presidents, but they don’t feel better about Trump’s economy

The poll showed that 36% of American adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy, a number that has remained steady this year after he imposed tariffs that caused widespread economic uncertainty. Among Republicans, 71% feel positive about his economic leadership. However, such approval within Trump’s party is relatively low that could pose a problem for Republicans in next month’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, and perhaps even in the 2026 midterm elections.

Around the same time in Biden’s term, in October 2021, an AP-NORC poll found that 41% of American adults approved of how he was handling the economy, including about 73% of Democrats. This overall number was slightly higher than Trump’s, primarily due to independents — 29% approved of how Biden is handling the economy, compared to 18% who currently support Trump’s approach.

The labor market was noticeably stronger in terms of hiring during the Biden presidency as the United States was recovering from pandemic-related lockdowns. But hiring has slowed sharply under Trump, with monthly job gains averaging less than 27,000 after the tariff announcements in April.

People see this difference.

Four years ago, 36% of survey respondents were “extremely” or “very” confident in their ability to get a good job, but that percentage has fallen to 21% now.

Biden’s approval of the economy steadily deteriorated until mid-2022 when inflation reached its highest level in four decades, creating an opportunity for Trump’s political comeback.

Electricity costs are an emerging concern

In some ways, Trump has made inflation problems more difficult by choosing to defund renewable energy projects and impose tariffs on equipment for factories and power plants. These additional costs come before the expected construction of AI data centers, which could lead to higher prices without further construction.

Although 36% consider electricity a major concern, there are some who have not yet felt serious financial distress. In the survey, 40% identified electricity costs as a source of “minor” stress, while 23% said utility bills were “not a source” of stress.

Kevin Halsey, 58, of Normal, Illinois, said his monthly electricity bills were $90 during the summer because he had solar panels, but they have since jumped to $300. Halsey, who works in communications, voted for the Democratic Party in last year’s presidential election and described the current economy as “crap.”

“I have to be pessimistic,” he said. “I don’t see this getting better.”

At a basic level, Trump finds himself in the same economic dilemma that bedeviled Biden. There are signs that the economy is still relatively strong with low unemployment, stock market gains and decent economic growth, yet the public remains skeptical about the health of the economy.

About 68% of adults in the United States describe the American economy these days as “poor,” while 32% say it is “good.” This is largely consistent with assessments of the economy over the past year.

In addition, 59% say their family finances are “steady.” But only 12% say they are “coming forward,” and 28% say they are “lagging behind.”

People see a lot of expenses but few opportunities

The sense of economic fragility comes from many different directions, with signs that many believe middle-class stability is out of reach.

The vast majority of U.S. adults feel at least “a little” stress about the cost of groceries, health care, housing, how much they pay in taxes, what they earn at work, and the cost of gas for their cars.

In the survey, 47% said they were “not very” or “not at all” confident in their ability to pay for unexpected medical expenses, while 52% said they were confident they would have enough saved for their retirement. Also, 63% of respondents are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” that they would be able to buy a new home if they wanted to.

Young people are much less confident about their ability to buy a home, although confidence is not particularly high across the board. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults under 30 say they are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” in their ability to buy a home, compared with about 6 in 10 adults 60 or older.

For 54% of US adults, the cost of groceries is a “major source” of stress in their lives right now.

Unique Hopkins, 36, of Youngstown, Ohio, said she now works two jobs after her teenage daughter gave birth to a baby boy, leaving Hopkins feeling like she can barely tread water as part of the “working poor.” She voted for Trump in 2016, switching to Democrats after feeling his ego prevented him from uniting the country and solving problems.

“It’s his way or it’s not,” she said. “No one is going to unite with Trump if it’s all about you, you, you.”