Rising food costs placing strain on Marylanders' mental health, polls say
Rising food costs are taking a toll on Maryland households, with many residents reporting stress and declining mental health, according to new polls.
A Change Research survey conducted from July 22 through July 29, for No Kid Hungry Maryland found that 85% of respondents believe food prices are rising faster than their incomes.
More than half of respondents, 58%, said their mental health has suffered as a result.
The poll used Change Research's Dynamic Online Sampling Engine to obtain a sample reflective of Maryland's adult population. The modeled margin of error is 4.0%.
The findings echo a national AP-NORC poll showing that most Americans are stressed about grocery bills.
Families face tough choices
The Maryland poll of 1,054 adults found that 65% of residents have had to choose between buying food and paying for another necessity such as transportation, utilities, or rent.
Middle-income households and families with children reported some of the greatest strain.
"Prices are going up and salaries are not," said Carl Husic, another Baltimore resident.
Two-thirds of respondents with households earning $75,000 to $125,000 said they struggle to balance food costs with other expenses, while 71% of families with children under 18 said they face the same dilemma.
More than half of respondents said they would be worried about affording groceries if they faced an unexpected $500 expense.
The poll suggests many households are just one emergency away from food insecurity.
"Most of them are looking and they are making the difficult choices they need to get so they have no choice," said Husic.
Strong support for food programs
Respondents showed strong support for food access initiatives. A majority, 59%, viewed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program favorably, while 18% held unfavorable views.
Support for the Summer EBT program was even higher, with 83% of respondents saying Maryland should continue the initiative to ensure children have access to food when school is out.
Nearly all respondents, 96%, said child hunger should not exist in Maryland.
More than 8 in 10 said elected officials should do more to end the problem, and 93% said eliminating child hunger should be a bipartisan goal.
"As we think about the impending impact of more cuts that are coming down from the federal government, I think it's really important to take stock in what we have and to understand where families are and what the needs continue to be," Holmes explained. "We are really all going to have to pull together during these times...harder times."
