71% Call Gasoline Unaffordable. Groceries Moved Less.

Analysis. Every figure below is sourced in the box at the end. The facts are laid out; the conclusion is yours.

In the United States, 71% of adults now call gasoline unaffordable. In February, 28% said so. The number comes from an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted October 9 to 13 among 2,545 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 points, and published on October 18. The question it raises is simple: is gasoline the only cost people feel, or just the loudest?

Five costs, February to October

The poll asked about the same household purchases in February and again this month. The share calling each one unaffordable:

• Gasoline: 28% to 71%, up 43 points.
• Groceries: 45% to 60%, up 15 points.
• Rent or mortgage: 37% to 50%, up 13 points.
• Home energy and utilities: 45% to 57%, up 12 points.
• Health care: 56% to 65%, up 9 points.

Every line rose. Gasoline rose almost three times as much as the next one (43 points against 15). ABC notes that the February reading came before the war in Iran drove up fuel costs, and that the national average gas price has been above $4 a gallon for a record 158 days in 2026.

What the price index says

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 14 that gasoline rose 34.2% over the 12 months ending in September, and 9.1% in September alone, which accounted for over half of the monthly increase in the all items index. Over the same 12 months, food at home rose 1.8%.

So groceries cost 1.8% more than a year ago, and 15 more points of respondents call them unaffordable. Gasoline cost 34.2% more, and 43 more points call it unaffordable. The two series use different windows (the poll compares February with October, the index compares September with September), so this is a pairing, not a measurement of cause.

What each side would say

Critics of the administration point to the poll's other findings: 21% approve of how the president is handling the cost of living and 77% disapprove; on Iran, 27% approve and 70% disapprove, and 65% say using military force against Iran was a mistake. Supporters can point to the same poll for their own context: Americans have felt higher prices on several fronts at once, and a poll of opinion records what people feel, not who is responsible.

The questions that remain

How much of the 43 points is the price at the pump, and how much is the price of everything that travels by truck? Will the October CPI, due November 10, show gasoline easing or still climbing? And what would a price of gasoline back under $4 do to the 71%?

The midterm elections are on November 3. The October CPI will be released a week later, on November 10, 2026.