Consumer Behavior

Nearly half of consumers oppose tariffs

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August 1, 2025

Nearly half of U.S. consumers, 43%, oppose White House administration tariff policies while 29% are in support and 28% are neutral on the issue.

Over half, 56%, believe tariffs will have a negative impact on the U.S. economy in the coming year.

Those are findings from Numerator's Tariff Sentiment Tracker report which polled 5,000 U.S. consumers on a bi-weekly basis, according to a press release.

Additional findings include:

• 71% of consumers say they are aware of new or proposed tariffs on goods imported into the U.S.
• 81% of consumers say they understand what tariffs are and how they impact prices.
• Only a quarter of consumers believe that tariffs will have a positive impact on the U.S. economy over the next year. 27% of U.S. consumers say tariffs will have a positive impact, while 58% believe they will have a negative impact. 77% of consumers are concerned about the possibility of a recession in the coming year.
• 86% of consumers are concerned about the impact of tariffs on their personal finances. 61% of consumers are worried about higher prices on everyday goods, 57% are worried about general inflation, 47% are worried about higher prices on non-essential items, and 43% of U.S. consumers are concerned about limited availability of certain products.
• 81% of U.S. consumers still expect to adjust their finances or shopping habits in response to the tariffs. Consumers say they are most likely to cut back spending on non-essentials (45%), look for sales or coupons to offset price increases (41%), delay non-essential or big-ticket purchases (30%), switch to lower-priced retailers or discount stores (29%), and buy fewer imported goods (28%).
• 10% of U.S. consumers say they have no concerns regarding tariffs, and 8% do not expect to make any changes as a response to tariffs.