Summary
More than 80% of Americans say affordability has not improved during President Donald Trump's time in office. Key household pressure points cited are grocery prices, insurance costs, prescription drug prices, rent and saving to buy a home. The results underscore persistent cost-of-living concerns as the administration begins its second year.
Last Updated: Feb. 25, 2026 at 1:34 p.m. ET
Key findings — concise, quotable statements
- "More than 80% of Americans say affordability has not improved during the president's term."
- The top affordability challenges named by households are: grocery prices, insurance, prescription drug prices, rent and the ability to save for a home.
- Voters and consumers continue to rank everyday household costs higher than other economic priorities.
What households report as the biggest affordability pain points
- Grocery prices: Frequently cited as the single most immediate household expense affecting budgets.
- Insurance costs: Rising premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for health and auto insurance remain top concerns.
- Prescription drugs: Drug pricing and access are a recurrent affordability challenge for working-age and retired households.
- Rent and housing costs: Rent burdens and the inability to save for a down payment are major constraints on household mobility and wealth building.
These categories collectively paint a picture of broad, persistent pressure on disposable income and savings rates.
Implications for markets and investors
- Consumer staples and defensive exposures: Persistent grocery-price concerns support monitoring consumer staples ETFs (e.g., XLP) and large-cap defensive names for resilience in consumer spending patterns.
- Healthcare and drug pricing: Prescription drug affordability continues to influence policy risk and pricing dynamics for pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks; consider healthcare sector ETFs (e.g., XLV) and companies with pricing power or margin risk.
- Housing-related stocks: Rent and home-purchase difficulties keep a spotlight on homebuilders, mortgage lenders and REITs tied to residential real estate (e.g., XHB for homebuilders). Metrics such as housing starts, existing-home sales and mortgage applications remain relevant.
- Financials and insurance providers: Rising insurance costs can affect both consumer budgets and insurer underwriting; selective monitoring of insurers and regional banks is advised.
Note: Investors should not assume a direct, immediate correlation between survey sentiment and price moves but should use persistent household affordability pressure as a lens for sector rotation and risk assessment.
Policy and political implications
- Affordability remains a central voter concern entering the administration's second year; public pressure on Washington to address grocery and drug prices, insurance, and housing affordability is likely to persist.
- Policymakers will face pressure to demonstrate measurable progress on cost-of-living metrics; key economic indicators to watch for policy responses include headline and core CPI, shelter and medical-care components, wage growth, and housing affordability indexes.
Actionable indicators and data points to track
- Headline CPI and core CPI (monthly releases)
- Shelter component and rent inflation measures
- Food-at-home and grocery price indexes
- Prescription drug price indices and pharmaceutical sector earnings commentary
- Housing starts, building permits, existing-home sales and mortgage rate trends
- Consumer sentiment and household savings rate
Monitoring these indicators helps translate survey sentiment into risk positioning and potential trade ideas.
Takeaways for traders, analysts and institutional investors
- Persistent affordability concerns create structural exposure opportunities in defensive and value-oriented sectors.
- Short-term market reactions may be driven by macro releases, but sustained consumer pressure on essentials argues for a longer-term assessment of sector allocations.
- Use affordability signals as an input, not a sole driver, for portfolio shifts: combine survey sentiment with economic data and corporate fundamentals.
Final summary
More than 80% of Americans reporting no improvement in affordability signals a durable consumer stress point. Grocery costs, insurance, prescription drugs, rent and the ability to save for housing are the primary drivers. For market participants, the finding suggests heightened attention to consumer staples, healthcare, housing-related exposure and policy-sensitive sectors as the administration moves forward into its second year.
