War With Iran Is Hitting Americans at the Gas Pump — and at the Grocery Store

For millions of Americans, the ongoing war with Iran is not just a foreign policy story — it is showing up in their wallets every time they fill up their gas tanks or push a cart through the grocery store. A growing number of people across the country say the financial pressure is becoming impossible to ignore.

A new poll from ABC News, The Washington Post, and Ipsos paints a stark picture of how Americans are coping. Four in ten respondents said they are worse off financially than they were when President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025. Nearly one in four said they are actively falling behind. Half of those surveyed expect gas prices to climb even higher over the next twelve months.

The war's economic ripple effects trace back to a critical chokepoint in global oil markets. Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway through which roughly 20% of the world's traded oil normally flows — as a retaliatory move against the United States. That disruption sent fuel prices surging and has kept them elevated for months.

Changing How Americans Live Day to Day

The poll found that more than four in ten Americans — 44% — have cut back on how much they drive because of higher gas prices. Another 42% have reduced other household expenses to compensate, and 34% have changed or scrapped travel and vacation plans entirely.

The burden falls hardest on lower-income households. Among Americans earning less than $50,000 a year, more than half said they have cut back on both driving and everyday spending just to make ends meet.

Jacob Olson, a 28-year-old from Beebe, Arkansas, knows this reality well. After losing his job as a warehouse manager when the solar company he worked for went bankrupt, Olson started his own small business making custom wood products like storage racks. The work requires him to drive to customers regularly, meaning every jump in gas prices hits his bottom line directly.

"One day at a time," Olson said. "One foot in front of the other. ... That's about the way to sum it up."

With two young children — a one-year-old and a newborn — Olson said the financial squeeze has taken away any room for extras.

"I don't really do anything, you know, for leisure or luxury anymore," Olson said. "It's all kind of just getting the bills paid ... I have a 1-year-old, and I just had another baby about a month ago, so I've got two little ones, and every day it's getting harder."

Real People, Real Costs

For Brenda Howard, 66, of Lubbock, Texas, the situation is especially difficult. She does not own a car and depends on rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft to get to work as a cleaner and run basic errands. A single trip to the grocery store now costs her around $30 — a price that has climbed along with fuel costs.

"This is not the way I thought my retirement was gonna turn out," Howard said. "I never dreamed that it would be a day-to-day struggle, sometimes hour to hour."

Martha Davis, a 66-year-old caretaker from Tool, Texas, faces similar hardships. She cares for her disabled son and must sometimes travel up to 60 miles to reach medical appointments. What used to cost her around $20 to $25 in gas has ballooned significantly.

"I used to get back and forth on like $20, $25, but now it's almost 70 bucks," Davis said.

Jim Piper, 36, of Portage, Indiana, lives on a fixed income due to a disability. He said inflation hits him especially hard because his income does not increase when prices do.

"I got to pay more, even though I'm not making more," Piper said.

Mixed Views on the War and Who Is to Blame

The financial strain has not necessarily translated into uniform opposition to the president. Andy Breedlove, 51, from West Virginia, said he believes Trump is performing well in his second term even as he acknowledges that gas prices are too high. Breedlove, who is not working due to a disability, suspects fuel costs will keep rising as long as the conflict with Iran continues.

Still, a 61% majority of Americans surveyed in the ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll said the decision to go to war with Iran was a mistake. Olson, the young woodworker and father, said he has questions about how the administration has handled the conflict.

"He hasn't made a clear statement on why ... we're actually participating at all," Olson said. "From what I know, there's been a lot of just lying and, you know, not being transparent, and ... a big lack of professionalism, which I don't appreciate coming from the president."

Christopher Mosley, 43, a former Walmart employee from Fort Smith, Arkansas, described Trump as "reckless" on foreign policy.

The president's own messaging on gas prices has shifted over time. When asked in early April whether prices would fall before the upcoming midterm elections, Trump suggested they might stay flat or even rise. By May 1, he said prices would come "tumbling down" once the conflict ended. Iran is currently reviewing a U.S. proposal aimed at winding down the war, according to a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry.

With midterm elections approaching and Democrats already positioned to make gains, the economic frustration felt by voters across the political spectrum could prove to be a defining issue. For many Americans right now, the consequences of the war are not measured in headlines — they are measured in dollars spent at the pump and choices made about whether to drive to a doctor's appointment or skip it altogether.