High prices top list of economic worries: Poll

Nearly half of voters say they are most worried about increased costs for food and other goods, among current economic concerns, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

The poll asked respondents to pick among four options which economic issue worries them the most: Prices for food and consumer goods; housing/rent; the stock market; or job security. Overwhelmingly, costs for food and other purchases came out on top, with more than double citing that option than housing, which came in second.

"In a rare moment of political unanimity, Democrats, Republicans and independents in equal numbers worry most about the prices of what they eat and what they buy," Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.

Twenty percent of respondents said the cost of housing or rent is their chief concern, 17 percent said stocks and 6 percent said employment.

The poll also asked voters how they have modified their buying habits amid economic uncertainty.

Nearly a third said they have put off buying big-ticket items like furniture or appliances. Six percent say they made bigger purchases sooner than they otherwise would have, and 60 percent said they have not changed their purchasing choices.

Split by party, more than three in four Republicans said they haven't recently changed their purchasing habits, compared to 44 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of independents. Democrats were most likely to say they had put off major purchases at 45 percent to 15 percent of Republicans and 29 percent of independents. Nine percent of Democrats said they expedited major purchases, compared to 4 percent of Republicans and 5 percent of independents.

The poll expands on economic attitudes found in a separate Reuters/Ipsos Poll conducted over the weekend. In that poll, a majority of Americans surveyed said they expected prices would go up because of President Trump's sweeping tariff overhaul that took effect on Wednesday. Trump announced on Wednesday an abrupt pause in some of the tariff hikes.

The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,407 self-identified registered voters nationwide by phone April 3-7. It has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.