Women more worried about economy under Trump than men, poll finds

Women across the political spectrum are more concerned about the state of the US economy and inflation under Donald Trump than men are, according to a new exclusive poll for the Guardian.

More Democrats than Republicans are now concerned about the economy following the president’s return to power. But pessimism was higher for women even among Republicans and independents, according to a new Harris poll.

Overall, 62% of women and 47% of men said that the economy and inflation is getting worse, a gap of 15 percentage points. The gender gap crossed party lines with both Democratic and Republican women expressing greater concerns about the economy than men did.

“Here’s what everyone missed: women aren’t being pessimistic about the economy – they’re being realistic,” said Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer of Harris Poll. “Women are experiencing the sharp edge of inflation on essentials like groceries and childcare in ways that stock portfolios can’t capture.”

The news will be worrying for the Trump administration. Women are more likely than men to be registered to vote and to show up at the polls. While Trump made gains among women in the 2024 election, women were still 10% more likely to vote for Kamala Harris. Recent analysis has shown that much of Trump’s win can be attributed to gains made among men, particularly non-white men.

Across a series of questions about their outlook on the state of the economy, most respondents (78%) – both men and women – expressed concerns about the amount of uncertainty, particularly around prices.

Yet women appear to be bearing the brunt of Trump’s economic policy, particularly around his tariffs.

Previous research has shown that women are more likely to feel the impacts of inflation because of broader gender inequality, including gaps in pay and household responsibilities.

While a majority of respondents said they were primarily responsible for their household’s shopping, more women (71%) than men (62%) reported being their household’s primary shopper.

This difference in household shopping responsibility translates into broader gaps in concern over affordability and prices:

• More women said they are very worried about food prices (52% of women compared to 39% of men)

• More women said they’re spending more time trying to find deals or go to more affordable stores (36% versus 26%)

• More women said their financial security is getting worse because of their difficulty in affording essential goods and services (55% versus 46%)

The differences increased when respondents were asked about their comfort in affording their lifestyles in the current economy, including affording a family, a home, life as a single individual, and childcare. Just 27% of women said they felt comfortable affording a family now, compared to 43% of men.

Although confidence in switching jobs was low among all respondents, 34% of men were confident in a job switch compared to 25% of women. Women are also more pessimistic about receiving a meaningful raise this year: 54% of women said they think they’ll get a raise, compared to 63% of men.

Lack of confidence in the economy can impact people’s behavior, particularly the big milestones they can make in their lives. They are more likely to delay buying homes, starting a family or switching jobs.

“We’re witnessing a generation living in what we call ‘anticipatory financial distress’,” said Rodney. “This isn’t a casual concern; it’s the mental equivalent of holding your breath underwater, waiting for the surface.”

What makes up “the economy” for one person can be completely different than what it means for another. For some, the economy can largely be defined by how the US stock market is doing; for many others, it’s the price of their weekly grocery bill.

Over the last few years, certain parts of the economy thrived, while others caused serious pain. The stock market reached record highs, and the wealth of the ultrarich soared. At the same time, the labor market has remained relatively stable, with the unemployment rate staying at about 4%.

But even as Americans were holding onto their jobs, prices skyrocketed, particularly in 2022, when the inflation rate hit a decades-high of 9.1%. In attempts to bring inflation down, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates, which ultimately made borrowing money, particularly for a mortgage, much more expensive than it had been during the pandemic.

Previous Harris polls conducted before the 2024 US election had shown that pessimism under the Biden administration was high. Many Americans appeared to blame the White House for the high inflation, even though inflation eventually came down to under 3% in 2023 and 2024.

So far in his second term, Trump has primarily used tariffs as his main tool to balance out the economy, arguing that tariffs will increase domestic manufacturing. So far, many companies have said they will instead pass the price increases onto consumers. Recent data has shown that inflation hasn’t climbed yet, but economists warn that many companies stockpiled in anticipation of tariffs, and price increases could continue into the summer.

This survey was conducted online within the US by The Harris Poll from 22 to 31 May 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 4,208 US adults.