Gas prices aren’t the biggest inflation concern
You might have heard recently that gasoline prices are way too high. In fact, that might be all you’ve heard about.
As gas prices topped $4 per gallon in March, then $5 per gallon in June, media coverage of exasperated drivers exploded and politicians hoping to tar their opponents cast blame every which way. President Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, reportedly checks gas prices every morning, while a team of White House economists plots strategies to address the problem.
Consumers, however, have bigger financial concerns, according to a new Yahoo Finance / Morning Consult poll on Americans’ inflation worries. In the poll, 63% of respondents said they are very or somewhat confident they can afford gas. Only 29% said they were not confident they could afford gas. Those numbers do reflect the strain high gas prices are causing consumers, but gas prices cause a lot less concern than other things the poll asked about. (The survey of 4,420 adult Americans took place July 16 and 17. Click here for the complete set of poll results.)
The survey asked about 13 different things a typical family needs money for. Gas prices were only the 9th biggest concern. Respondents had the lowest levels of confidence for contributing to retirement and saving money in general. Among expenditures, child care was the biggest concern, with 42% saying they can afford it and 28% saying they can’t. Fewer people need child care than need gasoline, yet the portion saying they can’t afford each was nearly the same.