Americans Are More Dissatisfied With Their Financial Situations Than They Have Been In Decades: Poll

More than half of Americans report feeling "dissatisfied" with their personal financial situations as domestic prices, largely driven by the Iran war, remain stubbornly high in the buildup to Tuesday's midterm elections.

For the first time in three decades of NBC news polling, an NBC News poll released on Sunday has shown that less than 50% of Americans feel satisfied with their personal finances, a foreboding sign for the GOP and its prospects for retaining control of Congress in the vote on November 3.

This feelings of financial concern seem to be largely caused by price rises related to the Iran war. Fuel prices in particular remain high, in large part due to continuing disruption to the Strait of Hormuz as a result of hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

The AAA tracker showed on November 1 that the average national gas price was $4.17 per gallon, compared to $2.98 per gallon at the beginning of the Iran war.

The same poll, which was conducted between October 28 and October 30, showed that voters would prefer the Democrats to control the House and Senate over the Republicans by a margin of seven percentage points (52% to 45%) with three percent of voters saying that they were undecided.

The poll also bears bad news for President Donald Trump, as his approval ratings continue to fall relative to previous NBC News polls: this most recent survey puts the president's net approval ratings at -20%, with 60% disapproving and 40% approving of Trump's presidency. One-third of Trump voters surveyed also said that he had not lived up to their expectations.

However, it's not all good news for Democrats. On key issues relating to the cost of living, which remains the electorate's primary concern, voters report relatively equal amounts of trust in the two parties. Republicans are more trusted (by a margin of two percentage points) on the economy, and Democrats are more trusted on inflation by a razor-thin margin on one percentage point.

In addition, more voters (38%) reported feeling positive about the Republican Party than they did about the Democrats (29%).

Nevertheless, pollsters largely predict that a Democrat victory in the House is all but guaranteed.

The Senate, however, presents a more complicated picture. To win back control of the upper house, the Democrats need a net gain of at least four seats, which would require them to pick up Senate seats on Tuesday in states that Trump carried in 2016, 2020 and 2024, such as Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa or Kansas.

The likelihood of the Democrats flipping these red states blue in the Senate races seems to be increasing, with polls showing the Democrats' chances increasing in Kansas and Texas.