A new poll finds many Americans expect worse gas prices and say they’re falling behind, highlighting broad economic strain amid the Iran conflict.
When Americans fill up their tanks now, many say it feels like the bill keeps coming—alongside mounting pressure from the war with Iran.
An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released last week suggests the strain is spreading beyond the pump.. Half of Americans expect gas prices to rise further over the next year. while 4 in 10 say they are not as well off as they were when President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.. Nearly a quarter report that they are falling behind financially.
In follow-up conversations with several people who took part in the survey. many described higher costs as a day-to-day challenge. especially when paying for basic necessities.. Dissatisfaction with the country’s leadership also came through repeatedly as participants spoke about what they believe is driving prices upward.
For Jacob Olson, 28, in Beebe, Arkansas, the financial squeeze has been intensified by job loss and shifting work.. Olson said he was laid off from a warehouse manager role for a solar company that went bankrupt. and he later began making custom wood projects on his own.. Even then, he described spending heavily on gas while driving around to meet customers.
“It’s all kind of just getting the bills paid,” Olson said, adding that with a 1-year-old and a new baby born about a month earlier, everyday expenses are becoming harder to manage. “One day at a time,” he said, framing his approach as taking small steps while trying to stay afloat.
Meanwhile. for many Americans—especially those without reliable access to private transportation—the cost pressures described in the poll extend well beyond gasoline.. Brenda Howard. 66. from Lubbock. Texas. said she can’t afford trips or meals out. and because she doesn’t own a car. she relies on rideshare services like Uber and Lyft for errands and commuting to her job as a cleaner.. She estimated that trips for groceries can cost around $30.
Howard said her retirement has not turned out the way she expected. “I never dreamed that it would be a day-to-day struggle,” she said, describing how the situation can become difficult hour to hour.
The poll also found that many people have altered routines in response to higher prices. More than 4 in 10 reported cutting back either on driving (44%) or on household expenses (42%). Another 34% said they have changed travel or vacation plans.
Those changes appear to hit lower-income households particularly hard. The survey indicated that more than half of people earning under $50,000 a year said they have cut down on driving and household expenses, reflecting how quickly fuel costs can ripple through household budgets.
Martha Davis, 66, in Tool, Texas, described a similar pattern tied to health needs and distance.. She works as a caretaker for her disabled son and said she is struggling to cover essentials including gasoline and rent.. Davis said she sometimes has to travel as far as 60 miles for medical appointments. and she reported that what used to cost around $20 or $25 now amounts to nearly $70.
“This is not the way I thought my retirement was gonna turn out,” Howard said. “I never dreamed that it would be a day-to-day struggle, sometimes hour to hour.”
Davis, like others in the survey, said the costs of getting by have intensified in ways that leave fewer options for managing day-to-day obligations.
Broader political views are also tangled with the economic concerns.. In the poll. 4 in 10 Americans said they are less well off than they were at the beginning of Trump’s second term. and some of those respondents still support the president.. Andy Breedlove. 51. from West Virginia. said he believes Trump is doing well in his second term even while arguing that gasoline prices remain too high.. Breedlove. who said he is not working due to a disability. suggested that higher fuel prices may continue because of the war with Iran.
At the same time, the survey reflected skepticism about the war decision itself. A 61% majority of Americans said in the poll that the Trump administration’s decision to go to war against Iran was a mistake.
Participants offered sharply different personal interpretations of how leadership has handled the situation.. Olson. the woodworker. said he believes there has been a lack of clarity about why the United States is involved. and he criticized what he described as misleading statements and insufficient transparency.. Another respondent, Christopher Mosley, 43, a former Walmart employee from Fort Smith, Arkansas, called Trump “reckless” on foreign policy.
The reported economic pressure is connected in part to disruptions in global oil shipping.. The Iranian government’s retaliatory blockage of the Strait of Hormuz—described as a key shipping lane for the oil market—has led to severe trade disruptions. with around 20% of oil traded on global markets normally passing through the strait.
Insight: For many households, the connection between foreign policy and everyday expenses can feel immediate and unavoidable.. When shipping bottlenecks raise energy costs. the impact often shows up first as higher gasoline bills—and then as squeezed spending on food. transportation. and even basic mobility to reach work and medical care.
The poll also comes amid mixed messaging from Trump about where gasoline prices are headed. In early April, Trump said prices might stay steady or get higher before the upcoming midterm elections. On May 1, he said gas prices would come “tumbling down” once the conflict was resolved.
Separately, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Iran is reviewing a latest proposal from the U.S. government aimed at winding down the war.
As the economic strain spreads, some voters described how it could shape the political landscape, particularly around the midterm elections.. The survey points to the potential impact of financial frustration during an election cycle in which Democrats are positioned to make gains. even as Trump has framed changes in congressional power dynamics as an existential threat to his presidency.
Jim Piper, 36, from Portage, Indiana, said he wishes Trump had more room to pursue policy goals.. Piper told the survey he believes political deadlock between Democrats and Republicans is contributing to rising prices. even as he said he has been doing worse financially since the start of the second Trump administration.
Piper said the pressure is harder to absorb because he has a disability and relies on a fixed income. “I got to pay more, even though I’m not making more,” he said.
Insight: Even when people do not agree on who is to blame. the survey suggests a shared feeling that the costs of the Iran conflict are being absorbed unevenly at the household level.. For voters on tight budgets. the result is less room for normal life—fewer trips. reduced driving. and constant recalculations of how to make ends meet—factors that can carry into political decisions at the ballot box.
For Misryoum USA News
gas prices Iran war US politics economic strain midterm elections consumer costs voter sentiment