More than half of U.S. adults (55 per cent) say their financial situation is getting worse, according to a Gallup poll published Tuesday, pointing to high inflation along with elevated costs of energy, housing, healthcare, college, transportation and childcare.

The figure is particularly stunning as it is higher than the level of economic fear registered in both 2008 and in the early days of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Some 49 per cent were worried about finances during the Great Recession in April 2008 as major U.S. banks sought government bailouts and the housing market collapsed. Half of people (50 per cent) expressed those worries in April 2020, according to Gallup.

In 2026, some 31 per cent of people polled by Gallup said their top financial problem was inflation and cost of living. U.S. inflation soared to 3.3 percent in March - the highest level since May 2024.