Survey: U.S. Shoppers Aware of Tariff Issue

According to Numerator's latest survey, 83% of U.S. shoppers say they're aware of new or proposed tariffs, up significantly from 53% in December 2024. Full survey results are available in Numerator's article, Tricks of the Trade: Consumers React to U.S. Tariffs, which references a Feb. 11 survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers to shed light on how tariffs are shaping sentiment and shopping habits. Here are the highlights:

• While awareness is high, understanding remains mixed. Only a third (34%) of shoppers say they fully grasp how tariffs affect prices while nearly half (48%) have a general idea but lack details, and 17% admit to having little to no understanding of the issue.
• 80% are concerned about the impact of tariffs on their finances or shopping.
• 64% are worried about tariffs raising the price of everyday goods, 44% are worried about limited availability of certain products, and 25% are worried about a potential slowdown in economic growth.
• Shoppers worry most about tariff-related price increases in essential categories, like groceries (55%), gasoline (41%), household goods (34%), and medical supplies (29%).
• 76% anticipate making changes to their shopping habits in response to tariffs, such as looking for sales or coupons to offset tariff price increases (23%), stocking up ahead of price increases (23%), or delaying purchase until prices stabilize (22%).
• 13% of consumers expressed concern that tariffs may impact their job or industry.
• 46% think tariffs in general have pros and cons depending on how they're implemented while 21% think they're harmful, and 16% think they're helpful. Many Americans (53%) also believe opinions on tariffs are largely shaped by political affiliation.
• When it comes to the latest waves of tariffs, shoppers are understandably split: 35% support the tariffs, 23% feel neutral or have no opinion, and 38% oppose. Opinions are stronger on the negative side with those who "strongly oppose" outnumbering those who "strongly support" two to one (28% vs. 14%).