Inflation is causing real economic pain.
asserted
Inflation → cause → pain
Worries about healthcare costs have jumped sharply.
asserted
Worries → jump → costs
And 7 in 10 Americans believe the country is in decline.
asserted
country → believe → decline
That is the landscape for the 2026 midterm election, according to a new survey from the American Communities Project at Michigan State University, which I direct.
uncertain
I → accord → which
The findings, which follow up previous data work the American Communities Project has done in 2023, 2024 and 2025, come from a survey of 2,155 American adults over two weeks in September 2026, conducted by the survey research firm SSRS, using an online panel and telephone, with a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.
asserted
Project → follow → points
The American Communities Project studies 15 types of communities.
asserted
Project → study → communities
Taken as a whole, the national numbers reveal an electorate that is unsettled, gloomy and likely looking for change.
asserted
that → take → change
Inflation: Deepening concern
Cost of living is a unifying concern for all Americans.
asserted
Cost → deepen → Americans
For the past four years, when given a list of 20 issues – including abortion, climate change, gun violence, drug addiction, education, healthcare, housing, immigration and taxes – respondents have consistently reported that inflation is the No. 1 issue in their community.
asserted
inflation → give → community
But the new data shows something more significant.
asserted
data → show → something
Almost half of Americans, 47%, say they are experiencing real pain from rising prices – a sharp rise from previous years.
asserted
they → say → years
In 2023, 2025 and 2026, we asked respondents whether they were experiencing “serious financial problems” due to price increases.
asserted
they → ask → increases
In July 2023, 27% answered yes.
asserted
% → answer → July
In 2025, 30% said yes.
asserted
% → say → 2025
In 2026, 47% said yes.
asserted
% → say → 2026
This significant swing underscores that many Americans across the country are really hurting in this economy.
asserted
Americans → underscore → economy
For some groups, concern about costs reached well above 50%.
asserted
concern → reach → %
For those ages 18-29 – members of Gen Z – 61% said they are dealing with serious financial problems because of price increases, the highest percentage among the four generational cohorts, including ages 30-49, 50-64 and 65+.
asserted
they → say → ages
Cost of living was also a particular concern reported among people of color.
asserted
Cost → report → color
Overall, 65% of Hispanics and 63% of Black Americans said they are experiencing serious financial problems because of price increases.
asserted
they → say → increases
Healthcare: A rising issue
Healthcare emerged as a top issue in our new survey.
asserted
Healthcare → rise → survey
In 2025, 20% of respondents said it was a top concern in their community.
asserted
it → say → community
This year, 30% cited healthcare as a top concern, a 10-point jump.
asserted
% → cite → jump
That shift also made healthcare the No. 2 issue in this survey, after inflation.
asserted
healthcare → make → inflation
For some demographic groups, concern about healthcare in their community reached above one-third of respondents.
asserted
concern → reach → respondents
Among those whose income falls between US$75,000 and $99,999, 36% said healthcare is a top issue; among Black Americans, 35% said so.
asserted
% → fall → Americans
This tracks with the policy changes and public health challenges since our 2025 survey.
asserted
This → track → survey
Many have lost health insurance, hospitals have closed, and disease outbreaks have affected communities.
asserted
outbreaks → lose → communities
It also may be tied to increasing costs overall.
uncertain
It → tie → costs
The pain people feel from inflation in healthcare can be especially acute because the dollar amounts can be large.
asserted
amounts → feel → healthcare
The 2026 survey data also showed a 15-point jump in the percentage of Americans who agree with the statement: The United States is in decline.
asserted
States → show → decline
In some ways that number makes sense.
asserted
number → make → sense
That number, 70%, is exactly what it was in 2023, the first year the American Communities Project did a survey.
asserted
Project → do → survey
In 2025, the “decline” number dropped to 55%, and that change was largely driven by communities that voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
asserted
that → drop → election
It was a measure of hope for the future, and it showed in massive improvements in the general hopefulness in communities such as the evangelical hubs, concentrated heavily in the South, rural middle America and the middle suburbs.
asserted
it → show → South
The fact that the “decline” number is back to 70% suggests those same Trump-supporting communities have seen their hopes take a hit – and a deeper analysis of the data on the American Communities Project website shows just that.
uncertain
analysis → suggest → that
At the very least, the data suggests a very disillusioned electorate.
uncertain
data → suggest → electorate
Times and attitudes change
It’s important to keep the 2024 election in mind as the 2026 midterm elections near.
asserted
elections → change → mind
It’s a sign of how opinions and attitudes can change – and quickly.
asserted
opinions → ’ → ?
The data here represents this moment in time, and it will likely move after November, which is why we will field this same survey again after the new Congress is seated.
asserted
Congress → represent → survey
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
