NC residents say these 6 everyday expenses are ‘unaffordable’
More than half of North Carolinians say some of the most common expenses are “unaffordable.”
That’s according to a new Catawba College-YouGov survey, which polled 1,000 North Carolinians online between June 1 and June 10.
Nearly 75% of survey respondents said they were cutting back on regular purchases, an increase of eight percentage points from January.
And high prices are even affecting people who don’t have trouble making ends meet. According to the survey, more than 50% of them limited their spending within the past month.
Here’s what to know about the survey.
Full story: Here are the everyday expenses North Carolina residents say they can’t afford
- In June, 57% of respondents said they had difficulty affording monthly expenses, up from 54% in January. More than half of those who weren’t struggling with bills still reported limiting their spending.
- In June, at least 50% of respondents said the following expenses were “unaffordable”: automobiles, gas, housing, healthcare and insurance, groceries, and energy and utilities.
- Housing costs were the exception. The share of respondents calling housing “unaffordable” dropped to 61% in June from 70% in January.
- Nationally, consumer sentiment rose about 10% from May to June, according to the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers. But sentiment remains nearly 20% below where it was a year ago.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by Renee Umsted and Thad Ogburn. Umsted also reported, wrote and edited the full story in the link at the top, with help from Jessaca Giglio.
