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CBS poll says over 70% of Americans struggle to afford basic needs

The source says U.S. housing has reached its least affordable level on record, underscoring broader pressure on household budgets for food, shelter, and health care.

Summary

A recent CBS poll found that more than 70% of Americans are having difficulty affording essential expenses including food, housing, and health care. The source also states that the U.S. housing market has reached its most unaffordable level in history. Together, those points reflect broad cost-of-living pressure, a macroeconomic backdrop that can influence investor risk appetite across markets, including digital assets.

Terms & Concepts
  • Risk appetite: Investors’ willingness to hold higher-risk assets, which often shifts when household finances and broader economic conditions deteriorate.
  • Macro: Shorthand for macroeconomics, or the broad economic forces such as housing costs, inflation, and consumer finances that can affect financial markets, including crypto.
  • Housing affordability: A measure of how easily households can pay for homes relative to income, prices, and borrowing costs.