US: How do perceptions around costs of goods this summer compare to the beginning of 2022?

Earlier this summer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ June Consumer Price Index report revealed

a 9.1% increase in prices over the past 12 months

. A new poll from YouGov shows that consumers are more sensitive to these prices hikes now compared to the beginning of the year—particularly in categories such as groceries, gasoline, takeout and housing prices.

We asked US consumers about the goods they paid for in the past two months (June and July 2022) and whether costs seem to have gone up, down or stayed the same compared to the start of the year.

More than four in five consumers (81%) who spent money on groceries or other household products say the costs of these goods have gone up this summer.

The YouGov survey offers a closer look at specific types of groceries, with consumers most likely to have noticed the cost of meat and non-meat alternatives (79%) going up, followed by prices for produce (76%), dairy and non-dairy alternatives (72%), personal care products (64%) and alcohol products such as beer, wine and liquor (57%).

While few consumers say prices have gone lower in any of these household categories, roughly a third of consumers who spent money on alcohol (36%) and personal care products (32%) say prices have remained the same from the start of the year.

The surge in gas prices has been a mainstay in news headlines for much of this year and 79% of US consumers who spent money on gas say that prices have gone up since January 2022. Following

three straight months of declines in gas prices

, however, some people are taking notice with 10% of US consumers who spent money on gas saying prices have fallen since the beginning of the year.

A key component of inflation is rising interest rates, and this has led to higher home prices and rental costs. These Interest rate increases make buying or owning homes more difficult for people and pushes them into the rental market, further driving up rental prices.

Over the past two months, roughly two-thirds (65%) of US consumers who pay utilities, rent or mortgages say their household expenses have gone up compared to the beginning of the year. Three in 10 (30%) say these expenses remained nearly the same.

When it comes to their expenditure on eating out and takeout, nearly three-quarters of consumers who spent money on this category say prices have gone up this summer compared to the start of year. Roughly a fifth say prices have remained the same in this category.

Most consumers who spent money on entertainment (59%) and clothing (56%) also say prices have gone up in these categories. With this being said, these two categories rank among the top three for consumers saying costs have not changed much since the start of the year.

YouGov RealTime Omnibus

provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online between August 24-25, 2022, with a nationally representative sample of 1,188 US adults aged 18 and older. Data figures have been weighted to be nationally representative.