War With Iran Is Hitting Americans Where It Hurts Most — At the Gas Pump and the Grocery Store

For millions of Americans, the ongoing U.S. military conflict with Iran is not just a foreign policy story — it is showing up directly in their wallets, at the gas station, and on their grocery receipts. A new national poll reveals that nearly half of Americans are already changing how they live because of rising prices, and many say the financial pressure is only getting worse.

A survey conducted by ABC News, The Washington Post, and Ipsos found that 4 in 10 Americans say they are worse off financially than they were when President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025. About one in four say they are actively falling behind. And half of those surveyed expect gas prices to climb even higher in the coming year.

The numbers reflect something many households are already living: a daily grind of stretched budgets, cancelled plans, and difficult trade-offs between basic needs.

Real People, Real Costs

Jacob Olson, 28, of Beebe, Arkansas, knows that grind well. After losing his job as a warehouse manager when his employer — a solar company — went bankrupt, Olson started his own small business building custom wood products like storage racks. The work keeps him going, but the cost of gas to visit customers cuts deep into whatever he earns.

With two children under the age of two at home, every dollar counts.

"I don't really do anything, you know, for leisure or luxury anymore," Olson said. "It's all kind of just getting the bills paid ... I have a 1-year-old, and I just had another baby about a month ago, so I've got two little ones, and every day it's getting harder."

When asked how he manages day to day, Olson put it simply: "One day at a time. One foot in front of the other. ... That's about the way to sum it up."

Brenda Howard, 66, of Lubbock, Texas, faces a different version of the same problem. She does not own a car, so she relies on rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft to get to her cleaning job and run basic errands. A single trip to the grocery store now costs her roughly $30.

"This is not the way I thought my retirement was gonna turn out," Howard said. "I never dreamed that it would be a day-to-day struggle, sometimes hour to hour."

Martha Davis, 66, lives in Tool, Texas, and works as a caretaker for her disabled son. Medical appointments sometimes require her to drive up to 60 miles from home. What used to cost her $20 or $25 in gas has become a much larger expense.

"I used to get back and forth on like $20, $25, but now it's almost 70 bucks," Davis said.

Why Gas Prices Are So High Right Now

The sharp rise in fuel costs is directly connected to the war with Iran. After U.S. military action began, Iran responded by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that is one of the world's most critical routes for moving oil. Under normal conditions, roughly 20 percent of all oil traded globally passes through that strait. Disrupting it sends prices higher everywhere — including at gas stations across the United States.

The poll found that 50 percent of Americans expect gas prices to keep rising over the next year, while another 15 percent think prices will stay roughly where they are now. Only a small share expects relief anytime soon.

President Trump's own messaging on the issue has shifted. In early April, he suggested prices might hold steady or rise further before the midterm elections. By May 1, he said prices would come "tumbling down" once the conflict ended. As of early May, Iran was reported to be reviewing a U.S. proposal aimed at winding down the war.

Americans Are Cutting Back

The financial strain is reshaping everyday behavior. According to the poll, 44 percent of Americans have reduced how much they drive. Another 42 percent have cut back on household spending more broadly. About 34 percent have changed or cancelled travel or vacation plans.

Lower-income households are bearing the heaviest burden. Among people earning less than $50,000 a year, more than half said they have cut back on both driving and general household expenses.

For people on fixed incomes — retirees, those with disabilities, and others whose earnings do not rise with prices — inflation is especially damaging. Jim Piper, 36, of Portage, Indiana, lives on a fixed income due to a disability and says the numbers simply do not add up.

"I got to pay more, even though I'm not making more," Piper said.

Piper says he has been doing worse financially since the start of Trump's second term, though he blames political gridlock between the two parties rather than any single policy.

Andy Breedlove, 51, of West Virginia, who is also not working due to a disability, said he still supports the president but acknowledges the pain at the pump is real.

"But with the price of everything else, it kind of evens out a little," Breedlove said, adding that he expects gas prices to keep rising as long as the war continues.

Broader Doubts About the War

Beyond the economic pain, many Americans have deeper questions about the conflict itself. The ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 61 percent of Americans believe the decision to go to war with Iran was a mistake.

Olson, the young woodworker and father from Arkansas, said he has not heard a satisfying explanation for why the U.S. is involved.

"He hasn't made a clear statement on why ... we're actually participating at all," Olson said. "From what I know, there's been a lot of just lying and, you know, not being transparent, and ... a big lack of professionalism, which I don't appreciate coming from the president."

Christopher Mosley, 43, a former Walmart employee from Fort Smith, Arkansas, went further, describing Trump as "reckless" on foreign policy.

The economic discontent has clear implications for the midterm elections, a cycle in which Democrats are already expected to make gains. With nearly a quarter of Americans saying they are falling behind financially and half bracing for even higher gas prices ahead, the cost of conflict is becoming a central concern for voters across the political spectrum.