Fox News Poll: Squeezed by costs, frustrated voters turn to the Democrats

Roughly three-quarters of voters have rated economic conditions negatively for the past year, and more than three times as many say they are falling behind financially as getting ahead, according to a Fox News survey released Wednesday.

And by a wide margin, the Democrats are considered the party that would better handle inflation — at a time when the cost of living and the economy are voters’ top concerns.

FOX NEWS POLL: COOL YOUR SERVERS! VOTERS REJECT DATA CENTERS Costs of everyday items are a hardship for voters: 61% say gas prices are a major problem, up from 48% two years ago, while 52% say the same for healthcare costs, up from 44%.

Majorities also view housing costs (54%, down from 60%) and grocery prices (62%, down from 66%) as major problems.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS OPPOSE THE IRAN WAR, SEE PROLONGED COMMITMENT Views on tariffs have grown more negative since last summer, with a high of 64% saying tariffs hurt the U.S. economy, up from 57%.

Most Democrats and independents say tariffs hurt, while views among Republicans are mixed (41% help, 36% hurt, 21% no difference).

Overall, nearly two-thirds of voters (63%) say the Trump administration has made the economy worse, including a quarter of Republicans.

All of this contributes to greater pessimism about the future.

The portion saying life will be worse for the next generation has risen from 53% two years ago to 62% last year and 68% today, just two points below the high of 70% in 2022.

Only 8% are enthusiastic about how the government is working, with another 23% satisfied.

A 68% majority is unhappy, including a high of 33% who are "angry" — driven by 56% of Democrats and 36% of independents vs. just 9% of Republicans.

Despite these economic headwinds and with 48 days until Election Day, maybe the good news for the Republicans is that the Democrats' advantage on the congressional ballot has stayed in the single digits.

If the election were today, 51% say they would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 44% the Republican.

The Democrats’ 7-point edge is just outside the survey’s margin of sampling error.