Nearly six in ten Americans say that high inflation has had a substantial impact on their lives, while a plurality believes it will become worse six months from now, according to a poll.
In the YouGov/Economist poll published Wednesday, 59 percent of Americans report that inflation has impacted them “A lot,” while another 36 percent have felt its impacts “A little.” Only five percent of respondents say they have not been affected at all.
A strong plurality of 48 percent expects inflation to be even worse six months from now, while another 28 percent predict it will remain the same, and only 13 percent optimistic it will decline. A majority (52 percent) concurred that interest rates would be higher by that point, compared to 7 percent who forecast they will drop.
Similarly, a mere ten percent of respondents say that gas prices will be lower in six months, versus 54 percent who believe they will have climbed and 23 percent who predict they will remain the same.
The poll comes as the Labor Department reported the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.9 percent compared to last year – which is “slightly below the five percent 12-month gain seen in March and the five percent forecast by economists,” as Breitbart News’ Economics Editor John Carney wrote in Wednesday’s Breitbart News Business Digest. He noted that the figure puts the federal reserve on course to pause rate hikes next month, adding:
On a monthly basis, however, inflation re-accelerated, rising 0.4 percent after the mild 0.1 percent in March. That puts another check in the April acceleration column on the recession scorecard we’ve been keeping for the past several weeks. It sits alongside the April jobs numbers and the S&P Global purchasing manager indexes as an indicator that the economy may have regained some steam as the green shoots of April pushed up through the soil.
YouGov also asked participants if they see the economy as growing or shrinking. A strong plurality of 4o percent perceives it as contracting versus only 20 percent who think it is expanding. Just under one in three say it is remaining “about the same,” and eleven percent were unsure.
Moreover, just 30 percent of Americans described the economy in positive terms, with 22 percent categorizing it as “Good” and 8 percent saying it is “Excellent.” Conversely, a plurality of 40 percent say it is in a “Poor” condition, and 27 percent dubbed it “fair.”
YouGov sampled 1,500 adults between May 6-9, and the margin of error is plus or minus 2,.8 percentage points.