New CBS/YouGov polling found 78% of Americans say the Trump administration isn’t focused enough on lowering prices — the highest figure recorded since pollsters began asking this specific question. Just 13% say Trump’s policies have made them personally better off. That 13% figure sits against the 44% of Americans who, on election eve in 2024, expected exactly that outcome. A 31-percentage-point gap between expectation and lived experience is politically dangerous territory.

WHY THE “FOCUSED ENOUGH ON PRICES” FRAMING MATTERS

Pollsters test specific framings for a reason — “not focused enough on prices” is a more forgiving formulation than “making prices worse.” It doesn’t require the respondent to blame the president directly; it simply requires them to say attention is elsewhere. At 78%, even people who are sympathetic to Trump are saying: you’re not working on what I need you to work on.

The economic context is not abstract. Gas prices remain elevated because of the Hormuz closure. Grocery prices have risen due to tariff-driven supply chain costs on imported goods. Insurance premiums are up. Energy bills are up. The “prices” Americans are flagging are not any single line item — they are the cumulative cost of a war-driven energy shock layered on top of ongoing tariff effects layered on top of baseline inflation that never fully returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“Just 13% of Americans now say Trump’s policies have made them personally better off — down from the 44% who expected exactly that on the eve of the 2024 election.”

WHY THIS MATTERS

The price issue is uniquely resistant to messaging. You cannot talk someone out of what they’re experiencing at the pump or the checkout line. Political communication works when people have abstract opinions that can be shaped by framing. When people have direct, daily, lived economic experience, framing has limited power. The 78% figure reflects that direct experience.

Three months from the midterms, with no near-term structural mechanism to bring prices down (the war continues, Hormuz remains contested, tariffs remain in place), this number is likely to be as high or higher in October as it is today.

POLITICAL IMPACT

▸  Trump — campaign promise (“make you better off”) is directly contradicted by 87% of expected beneficiaries saying it hasn’t happened

▸  Republican House candidates — their entire midterm argument on the economy is undercut by this specific number

▸  Democrats — have a ready-made economic contrast for every congressional race without needing to make any argument; the number makes the argument

▸  Independent voters — historically the most price-sensitive in their voting behavior; the 78% figure likely reflects near-universal Independent disapproval on this metric

CONFIDENCE: HIGH

CBS News/YouGov published poll with disclosed methodology. Historical comparison to prior CBS polling on same question is documented. 44% pre-election expectation figure is from 2024 election eve polling, cross-referenced in CBS analysis.

⚖️  BIAS CHECK — WHO IS SAYING WHAT
CBS News / YouGov	Neutral polling and reporting; figures are from published methodology
Democrats	Treating as their core campaign message; “78%” will appear in virtually every competitive ad buy
Republicans	Countering with stock market performance, unemployment rates, and GDP growth metrics; arguing prices are a global phenomenon not unique to Trump policy
White House	Attributing high prices to Biden-era inflation, global supply chain issues, and Iran’s actions; resisting direct ownership
Independent Economists	Mixed — Iran war energy effect is real and measurable; tariff inflation is documented but contested in scale; overall price environment has multiple drivers

SOURCES

▸  CBS News/YouGov poll — August 2026, “not focused enough on prices” specific question

▸  CBS News — “just 13% say made personally better off” analysis

▸  Pre-election 2024 CBS polling — 44% expected personal improvement benchmark

QUESTIONS YOU MAY STILL HAVE

Q: Has any president ever had this specific metric this high?

A: CBS began asking this specific question during Trump’s first term. 78% is documented as the highest recorded figure for this particular formulation. Cross-comparison with equivalent questions for other presidents is complicated by framing differences.

Q: What would it take to move the price number?A: A sustained drop in gas prices (requiring Hormuz resolution or significant production increase), a tariff rollback on key consumer goods categories, and several months of visible price decreases at the consumer level — none of which are near-term prospects.