{
  "id": 3282557,
  "title": "US consumer confidence falls to lowest level in 7 months as gas prices remain elevated",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/us-consumer-confidence-falls-to-lowest-level-in-7-months-as-gas-3282557",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T14:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/consumer-confidence-inflation-economy-gas-prices-8fdcfa56f35b9eac2399fe1d167f8fbd"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "U.S. consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in seven months in August as gas prices remain high, according to a recent report by the Conference Board. The index dropped to 89.4 from 90.2 in July, marking a decline that has been relatively stable since the beginning of the year. While respondents' views of their current economic situation improved, their outlook for the near future turned more pessimistic. Despite this, overall consumer sentiment remains somewhat lukewarm. The persistent high gas prices, which have stayed above $4 per gallon, are a significant concern for Americans, particularly after five years of elevated inflation. This situation could potentially impact President Donald Trump and Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, which are just under 70 days away. Write-in responses to the survey also indicated a more pessimistic view among respondents regarding prices in general, with specific mentions of oil, gas, war, geopolitics, food prices, trade, and jobs. Notably, President Trump continues to place blame for the high prices on his predecessor, Joe Biden, even though inflation has increased since Trump's inauguration in January 2025. The government's preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, came in at 3.7% in June, a slight decrease from May's 4.1% but still higher than the 2.5% it was when Trump took office in January 2025. The government will release its July PCE data on Wednesday.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans’ confidence in the economy declined again this month as the ongoing conflict in Iran has steadily pushed gasoline prices above $4 per gallon in the U.S. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dipped to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "US consumer confidence falls to lowest level in 7 months as gas prices remain elevated",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/us-consumer-confidence-falls-to-lowest-level-in-7-months-as-gas",
        "published": "2026-08-25T14:11:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "US consumer confidence falls in August as gas prices remain above $4 per gallon",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/us-consumer-confidence-falls-in-august-as-gas-prices-remain-above-4",
        "published": "2026-08-25T15:56:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}