LONDON, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Fifty-three percent of U.S. voters feel they are worse off financially since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, compared with only 21 percent who said they are better off, according to a recent poll by the Financial Times.

A customer shops at a supermarket in New York, the United States, April 10, 2026. (File photo: Xinhua)

The poll also showed clear partisan cleavages, with almost 80 percent of Democrats saying they are worse off under Trump, as opposed to 23 percent of Republicans who said the same.

Meanwhile, 64 percent of voters found that the U.S. economy is going in the wrong direction, while only 25 percent said it is going in the right direction.

Eighty-six percent of Democrats believe the economy is heading in the wrong direction, while the share among Republicans stands at 37 percent.

Overall, 55 percent of voters disapprove of the job Trump was doing as president, the poll found. They were especially dissatisfied with his handling of inflation and the cost of living, jobs and the economy, tariffs and trade and Iran.

The findings highlight the significant challenges facing Trump and the Republican Party ahead of November's midterm elections, as public dissatisfaction grew with the war in Iran, which has pushed up borrowing costs, petrol prices and the cost of living, said The Financial Times.

The online August poll reflected the opinions of 1,913 registered voters.