Way more Americans are worried about cost of food, healthcare than the stock market: poll

Many more Americans are worried about paying for food, medical care and housing than they are about how the stock market is doing, according to a new survey.

More than two-thirds (69%) of respondents said they were “very concerned” about the cost of healthcare, 66% said the same about the price of food and consumer goods, and 64% listed the cost of housing as a major concern, according to the Pew Research Center study published in July.

That contrasted with just 18% of respondents who said they were very concerned about how the stock market was doing.

Two-thirds of Americans are “very concerned” about food and consumer goods prices. Getty Images

Just under two-thirds of Americans (62%) reported owning stock in 2025, a number that has stayed largely consistent since the late 1990s, according to a Gallup poll.

Democrats were more likely than Republicans to express concerns about economic issues, although lower levels of concern for the stock market cut equally across party lines.

The widest partisan gap was on unemployment — with 29% of Republicans very concerned vs. 57% of Dems.

More than two-thirds were very concerned about healthcare costs. motortion – stock.adobe.com

On other issues, such as gas prices, electricity prices, and the role of AI in the economy, Democrats showed only slightly more concern.

The poll also suggested that Americans — who have been pessimistic about the economy since the beginning of 2020 — now have a slightly dimmer view than before President Trump took office.

Some 60% of respondents said that Trump’s policies were making the economy worse, although the partisan divide was stark on the issue, with 89% of Dems holding that negative view, compared to just 28% of Republicans.

However, the poll does show increasing dissatisfaction among Republicans, with only 42% saying the President was improving the economy, down from 57% in Jan. 26, before the war in Iran triggered a rise in gas prices.

The Pew poll was conducted July 6 to 12, and included 3,554 American adults.