War With Iran Is Hitting American Wallets Hard — Here's What Real People Are Paying

For millions of Americans, the ongoing U.S. war with Iran isn't an abstract foreign policy issue — it's showing up in real dollars and cents every time they pull up to a gas pump or open a grocery bill. Across the country, families are cutting back, rearranging their budgets, and in some cases struggling just to cover the basics.

A new poll from ABC News, The Washington Post, and Ipsos paints a stark picture of how the conflict is rippling through everyday American life. Half of all Americans expect gas prices to climb even higher over the next year. Four in ten say they are worse off financially than they were when President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025. And nearly one in four say they are actively falling behind on their finances.

The war has disrupted global oil markets in a significant way. Iran responded to U.S. military action by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which roughly 20% of the world's traded oil normally flows. That disruption has sent fuel prices surging, and the effects are being felt from rural Texas to small-town Arkansas.

Cutting Back Just to Get By

The poll found that more than 4 in 10 Americans have already changed their behavior in response to higher gas prices. Specifically, 44% have cut back on how much they drive, 42% have reduced other household expenses, and 34% have altered or cancelled travel and vacation plans. For households earning under $50,000 a year, those numbers are even higher — more than half have cut driving and scaled back household spending.

Jacob Olson, a 28-year-old from Beebe, Arkansas, knows this reality well. After being laid off from a warehouse manager position at a solar company that went bankrupt, Olson now runs his own small business making custom wood projects like storage racks. The job keeps him on the road — and rising gas prices are eating into every dollar he earns.

"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 — one just a month old — Olson says there is no room left for anything beyond necessities.

"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."

When Getting to the Grocery Store Costs $30

Brenda Howard, a 66-year-old retiree from Lubbock, Texas, doesn't own a car. She depends on rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to get to her job as a cleaner and to run everyday errands. A single trip to the grocery store now costs her around $30 in ride fees — a burden that has forced her to give up any spending that isn't essential.

"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, 66, faces a different but equally difficult challenge. She lives in Tool, Texas, and serves as the caretaker for her disabled son. Medical appointments can require her to drive up to 60 miles each way — a trip that used to cost a manageable $20 to $25 in gas. That same trip now runs her nearly $70.

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

How Americans Feel About Who Is to Blame

The financial pain hasn't necessarily translated into a clear political consensus. Some Americans who report being worse off financially still express support for the president, while others have grown deeply critical of the administration's handling of both the war and the economy.

Andy Breedlove, 51, from West Virginia, who is not working due to a disability, told pollsters he believes Trump has handled his second term well — but also agrees that gas prices are too high.

"But with the price of everything else, it kind of evens out a little," said Breedlove, who suspects fuel costs will keep rising as long as the Iran conflict continues.

Others are more pointed in their frustration. Olson, the Arkansas woodworker, questioned the administration's transparency about why the U.S. is involved in the conflict at all.

"He hasn't made a clear statement on why ... we're actually participating at all," said Olson. "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.

Jim Piper, 36, from Portage, Indiana, lives on a fixed income due to a disability and says political gridlock between Republicans and Democrats is largely responsible for the price increases squeezing his budget.

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

Overall, the ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 61% of Americans believe the Trump administration's decision to go to war with Iran was a mistake. President Trump's own public statements on gas prices have been inconsistent — in early April he suggested prices might hold steady or rise further before the midterms, but by May 1 he said prices would come "tumbling down" once the conflict ends. Iran is currently reviewing the latest U.S. proposal aimed at winding down the war, according to a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry.

With midterm elections on the horizon — a cycle in which Democrats are already seen as positioned to make gains — the financial strain felt by voters across the country could play a significant role in shaping the political landscape ahead.