Rebecca Patterson, Allison J. Smith and Ishaan Thakker
That was the conclusion from a Council on Foreign Relations opinion poll conducted in January 2026 in partnership with Morning Consult. More than 65 percent of the 2,203 respondents said tariffs had made a range of everyday items less affordable, including food and groceries, health care, housing, and transportation. Importantly, that sentiment was expressed by a plurality of people identifying themselves as Democrats and Republicans.
The challenge is that the cost of those goods is shaped by numerous factors—tariffs are just one piece of the puzzle. Still, the poll suggests that the high-profile nature of tariffs since President Donald Trump returned to the White House has made them top of mind, and that perception is as much an issue as reality. As a result, other steps to tackle affordability, such as proposed caps on credit card fees and limits on large-scale institutional purchases of homes, may not help sentiment, at least in the near-term, as much as rolling back tariffs on items Americans say they care about the most.
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