Majority say government, not foreigners, bears blame for rising costs

About 56% of respondents who identified as members of the MAGA coalition told the Harris poll they were either having trouble meeting debt payments or worried they would be struggling soon, according to the survey conducted for the Guardian. The same share reported similar trouble meeting housing payments, while 57% cited healthcare costs, 58% utility bills, 61% groceries, and 63% gasoline.

The poll, published July 8, captured financial stress across core Trump constituencies. Rural Americans — who voted for Trump by a 40-point margin in 2024 — reported worsening personal financial security at 49%, up from 42% in an April 2025 Harris poll taken weeks after Trump imposed broad tariffs. Among Americans without a four-year college degree, 45% reported a deteriorating financial situation, up from 42% in the earlier survey.

A majority of MAGA faithful, 54%, said the government is the most responsible for rising prices of goods and services, the poll found. Only 31% accepted Trump’s argument that foreigners bear the cost of tariffs; 41% agreed with economists’ assessment that American consumers carry most of that burden.

The survey also found that 62% of rank-and-file Republicans now identify as MAGA, up from 38% in September 2022. About 57% of MAGA respondents said they trust that the government considers the affordability crisis a top priority, and 69% said they believe the government is capable of fixing it. Still, just over a third said the government has made things worse.

Discontent extended beyond the MAGA core. Among all Republicans — MAGA or not — 38% said the economy is getting worse, up from 33% a year ago. The share who said it is getting better declined to 27% from 31%.

Independent voters, often a bellwether for the broader electorate, reported the sharpest divergence. Among independents, about 15% said their financial security is improving, while the poll found the share who said it is getting worse was nearly three times that.

Despite the erosion of confidence in Trump, the poll found limited faith in Democratic alternatives. Among Americans stressed by the affordability crisis, 26% said they believe Democrats can fix it, 25% said Republicans can, and 36% said neither party is capable. The Guardian’s analysis noted that Democrats have not presented a compelling economic counteroffer, constrained by the memory of inflation during the Biden administration.