Harvard poll: 66% hit by gas hikes
- Harvard CAPS, The Harris Poll and HarrisX released an April 23-26 survey showing 66% of registered voters say gas prices have risen recently. - The same poll found 52% noticed higher grocery prices, 40% higher utility bills, and 85% worry geopolitics will push living costs higher. - The survey lands as inflation and the economy remain top voter concerns in 2026. (harvardharrispoll.com)
A new Harvard CAPS / Harris poll found 66% of registered voters say they have noticed significant increases in gas prices. (harvardharrispoll.com) (harrisx.com) The April survey was conducted online from April 23 to April 26, 2026, among 2,745 registered voters by The Harris Poll and HarrisX. The reported margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 1.87 percentage points. (harvardharrispoll.com) The same poll found 52% of voters said grocery prices were up and 40% said utility costs were up. HarrisX’s release also said 85% are concerned cost of living will rise because of geopolitical tensions. (harrisx.com) (financialcontent.com) The poll was released on April 28 by Stagwell, the parent company tied to The Harris Poll, in collaboration with Harvard’s Center for American Political Studies. The questionnaire was finalized before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, according to the release. (harrisx.com) (financialcontent.com) Cost pressures landed inside a broader political snapshot. The same April poll put President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 42%, with his weakest marks on inflation at 37% and the economy at 39%. (harrisx.com) Inflation and the economy remained the top two issues for voters in the April results, while 20% also cited the U.S.-Iran conflict as a top concern. The release said 37% think the country is on the right track and 34% say the same about the economy. (harrisx.com) (harvardharrispoll.com) Mark Penn, the poll’s co-director and Stagwell chairman and chief executive, said voters are still focused on living costs even as views of Trump’s Iran policy improve. His statement linked household prices and foreign-policy risk in the same set of findings. (harrisx.com) (financialcontent.com) The poll does not, by itself, measure actual gasoline or grocery inflation. It measures what voters say they are noticing and worrying about as summer driving and midterm politics move closer. (harvardharrispoll.com)
