56% Of Americans Report Living Paycheck To Paycheck
Nearly three quarters of Americans say consumer prices have risen in recent weeks, signalling oncoming economic pain.
New polling from Canadian pollster, Leger, suggests the economic situation in America hasn’t been improving.
The survey found that 56% of Americans report living paycheck to paycheck, while only 39% say they are not. According to the poll, younger Americans are more likely to face economic precarity than their older counterparts.
The most cash-strapped age group are those aged 18–34, with 62% saying they live paycheck to paycheck. Among those aged 35–54, 61% report the same. Only among Americans aged 55 and older do more say they are not struggling financially than are, at 48% compared to 46%.
Economic precarity appears similar across partisan lines, with 56% of Independents, 54% of Democrats, and 53% of Republicans reporting they live paycheck to paycheck.
It’s not surprising then that a majority of Americans (52%) believe the country is currently in an economic recession. That belief is highest among Democrats (70%) and much lower among Republicans (34%).
Meanwhile, 29% of Americans say the U.S. is not in a recession, and another 19% say they are unsure of the current economic situation.
Technically, the United States is not in a recession, which would require two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. However, with a poor first quarter in 2025 already on the books, only one more negative quarter would officially mark a recession.
If a recession does occur, it’ll be driven by the President’s poorly conceived tariff plan, which most Americans believe will cause more economic harm than good.
