Key stat: Roughly half of US adults say they have trouble affording each of nine categories, from gas (52%) down to health insurance (41%), according to a June survey from The Harris Poll cited by The Guardian.

Beyond the chart:

• Perception is running ahead of the price tags. A majority of consumers, 57%, say the cost of living is worse than they can ever remember it being, and roughly 3 in 5 believe local gas prices have risen more than they actually have, according to a Politico poll.
• Meanwhile, the pullback is already showing up at the register. Grocery units sold fell nearly 2% YoY in June, a fifth straight month of decline, according to Bain & Company and NielsenIQ.

Use this chart: Drop this in a value-messaging debate to show there is no safe category left to raise prices in. Show it to brand teams building discount strategy around a single line item. Use the narrow 41% to 52% spread to argue household budget pressure, not category-specific pain.

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Methodology: Data is from the July 2026 The Harris Poll survey as cited by The Guardian. 4,100 US adults were surveyed during May 28-June 6, 2026. Percentages represent respondents who said they were having trouble affording each good or service. No additional weighting, analysis details, or thresholds for data inclusion were provided in the excerpt. Data has a margin of error of +/-1.9 percentage points.