Pew survey finds 44% of Americans struggle to afford basic necessities

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More than four in ten U.S. adults say they are having trouble covering basic living costs, according to Pew Research Center polling released Wednesday. The surveys found 44 percent of adults reported struggling to pay for necessities such as medical care, rent or a mortgage, transportation or food. The strain was heaviest among lower-income respondents, 71 percent of whom said they struggled with at least one of those expense categories.

The polling also pointed to broader financial strain beyond day-to-day bills. Six in ten respondents said their income was not enough to "lead the kind of life they want," while 53 percent said they lacked sufficient emergency savings. Pew based the findings on two surveys of 5,166 U.S. adults, fielded July 20 to Aug. 9 and Aug. 24-30, with a margin of error of roughly 1.6 percentage points.

The results land against a mixed inflation picture. The annual inflation rate was 3.4 percent in August, down from 3.7 percent in July, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics has since reported further increases in the consumer price index, including a 0.6 percent rise in September. Energy costs have driven much of the pressure, with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war weighing on global supplies.

Prices at the pump illustrate the squeeze. A gallon of regular gas averaged about $4.33 nationwide on Wednesday afternoon, compared with roughly $3.08 a year earlier, according to AAA, and the average cost of diesel has climbed above $6 a gallon, up more than $2 over the same period.

President Trump has sought to ease concerns about the cost of living as his administration pursues a tariff fight with Canada and the midterm elections approach, with affordability expected to rank among voters' top issues. At a Tuesday campaign rally in Alaska, the president gave no sign the conflict with Iran was winding down, saying he has "had it" with the country's leaders and that his administration was "going to do a number" on it.