82 Percent of Americans Say Regular Items Costing More Than Usual as Inflation Soars
The vast majority of Americans reported that they are paying higher prices for items they usually buy, as inflation has spiked in recent months.
A poll released Sunday by CBS News/YouGov found 82 percent of people saying that goods they usually buy "are costing more than they did not long ago." Sixty-four percent of respondents said items are often not in stock, and 55 percent noted that deliveries are taking longer.
President Joe Biden is getting low marks for his handling of inflation, with 67 percent of those polled saying they disapprove of it. His overall approval rating, according to the CBS News/YouGov survey, is at 44 percent.
On Thursday, a Quinnipiac University study found the president's approval to be even lower—at 36 percent—marking the worse rating he's received in a Quinnipiac national poll so far.
Last week, the Labor Department reported that inflation had reached its highest levels in over 30 years—6.2 percent overall.
In an interview on CNN last week, White House economic adviser Brian Deese said that Americans were seeing price increases and inflation "because of the supply chain challenges associated with COVID."
He added that the Biden administration is "working with ports around the country to get goods moving more quickly through the economy."
The CBS News/YouGov study, which surveyed 2,058 U.S. adults between November 15 and November 19 (with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points), touched on a variety of other subjects.
Biden got higher marks for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 52 percent of respondents saying he is doing a "very good" or "somewhat good" job in addressing the coronavirus outbreak.
Only 30 percent of respondents rated the state of the U.S. economy as "very good" or "fairly good"
Of those who didn't have a rosy view of the economy, 84 percent cited inflation, 71 percent said shortages of products and goods were, and 54 percent said a shortage of workers played into their opinion.
Seventy-four percent of those critical of the economy cited gas prices, which have soared this year.
The website GasBuddy, which tracks gas prices across the U.S. predicted Thursday that the national average for a gallon of gasoline would reach $3.35 by Thanksgiving Day. That's $1.24 higher than the $2.11 national average during Thanksgiving from last year.
An annual survey conducted by GasBuddy found that overall, 50 percent of U.S. drivers said they've driven less in 2021, with 78 percent reporting that lower gas prices would encourage them to get on the road more.
