AP-NORC poll finds growing concern about ability to find a good job

WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans are increasingly concerned about whether they will be able to find good jobs. President Donald Trumpan Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds potential warning signs for Republicans as promised. booming economy gave way Recruitment freeze and rising inflation.

high price for groceriesHousing and health care remain a concern for many households, according to the survey, and soaring electricity and pump gas costs are also a cause for concern.

About 47% of U.S. adults say they are “not very confident” or “not at all confident” that they can get a good job if they want, up from 37% when last asked in October 2023.

Electricity bills are now a “major” source of stress for 36% of U.S. adults, as the anticipated construction of data centers for artificial intelligence is likely to further strain the power grid. Just over half said the cost of groceries was the “main” source of financial stress, about four in 10 said housing and medical costs were a serious burden, and about a third said they were feeling a lot of stress about gas prices.

The survey suggests that President Trump, who returned to the White House in January by claiming he could quickly rein in inflation that soared after the pandemic during Democratic President Joe Biden’s term, remains vulnerable. In fact, President Trump’s popularity regarding the economic situation remains low. Tariff combinationculminated in federal employee layoffs and partisan sniping. government shutdown.

Linda Weevil, 76, voted for Trump last year because he “looks like a smart businessman.” But she said in an interview that the Republican tariffs were exacerbating inflation, citing higher prices for chocolate-covered pecans sold for church group fundraisers.

“I think he’s doing a great job on a lot of things, but I think the tariffs have increased the price of coffee and chocolate,” said a retiree from Greensboro, North Carolina. “It’s a pain in the American people’s back.”

Voters have replaced the president, but they feel President Trump’s economic situation is not good.

The poll found that 36% of American adults support President Trump’s economic response. Steady progress this year After he imposed tariffs that caused widespread economic uncertainty. Among Republicans, 71% feel favorable about his economic leadership. But Trump’s own approval ratings within his own party are relatively low, which could pose a problem for Republicans in next month’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, and possibly in the 2026 midterm elections.

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

The job market was meaningfully stronger in terms of employment during President Biden’s term as the United States was recovering from pandemic-related lockdowns. But hiring has slowed sharply under the Trump administration, with average monthly job gains of less than 27,000 jobs since April’s tariff announcements.

People notice the difference.

Four years ago, 36% of those surveyed were “very” or “extremely” confident in their ability to get a good job; this has now fallen to 21%.

Mr. Biden’s approval ratings for the economy steadily deteriorated until mid-2022, when inflation reached its highest level in 40 years, paving the way for Mr. Trump’s political comeback.

Electricity bills are a new concern

President Trump has chosen to defund renewable energy projects and impose tariffs on equipment needed for factories and power plants, in some ways making the inflation problem more difficult. These additional costs are being incurred ahead of the anticipated construction of AI data centers, and could push prices even higher if there is no further construction.

Despite 36% seeing electricity as a major concern, some are yet to feel any serious financial strain. In the survey, 40% said their electricity bill was a “mild” source of stress, and 23% said their energy bill was “not a cause” of stress.

Kevin Halsey, 58, of Normal, Illinois, said his summer electricity bill used to be $90 but has since jumped to $300 because he installed solar panels. Halsey, who works in the telecommunications industry and voted Democratic in last year’s presidential election, called the current economic situation “shit.”

“I can’t help but be pessimistic,” he said. “I don’t see this situation getting any better.”

At a fundamental level, Trump finds himself in the same economic dilemma that plagued Biden. Although the economy is showing signs of relative strength with low unemployment, a rising stock market, and decent economic growth, the public remains skeptical about the health of the economy.

Approximately 68% of U.S. adults describe the recent U.S. economy as “bad,” while 32% say it is “good.” This is roughly in line with economic assessments over the past year.

Furthermore, 59% say their household finances are “stable.” However, only 12% said they were making progress, and 28% said they were falling behind.

It costs a lot, but there are few opportunities

The sense of economic insecurity is coming from many directions, indicating that many people believe that middle-class stability is becoming out of reach.

The majority of U.S. adults are at least mildly stressed about things like groceries, medical bills, housing, paying taxes, getting paid at work, and paying for gas in their car.

In the survey, 47% said they were “not very confident” or “not at all” confident that they would be able to pay for unexpected medical expenses, and 52% said they had low confidence that they would be able to save enough for retirement. Additionally, 63% said they were “not very” or “not at all” confident they would be able to buy a new home if they wanted.

Young people are less confident about their ability to buy a home, but they are not particularly confident overall. About 8 in 10 U.S. adults under 30 say they’re not very confident or not at all confident in their ability to buy a home, compared with about 6 in 10 adults 60 and older.

For 54% of U.S. adults, grocery costs are now a “major source of stress” in their lives.

Unique Hopkins, 36, of Youngstown, Ohio, said she now works two jobs after her teenage daughter had a child and feels almost stuck as a member of the “working poor.” She voted for Trump in 2016, but switched to the Democratic Party because she felt Trump’s ego was preventing him from uniting the country and solving problems.

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

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,289 adults was conducted Oct. 9-13 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

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This article has been corrected to reflect that the NORC Center is called NORC Center for Public Research, not Public Affairs.