Poll Indicates Majority of Americans Connect Rising Grocery Costs with Steel Tariffs
September 29, 2025 | 2 min to read
Americans are feeling strained by rising grocery costs, with 87 percent expressing concern and half calling groceries very or extremely expensive; nearly three in four parents report higher monthly grocery bills. A poll by RealClear Opinion Research for the Can Manufacturers Institute found 70 percent of Trump voters link higher food prices to the administration’s boosted Section 232 tariffs that raised tinplate steel duties from 25% to 50%.
Nearly 80 percent of tinplate for domestic can manufacturing is imported, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute.
Eighty-seven percent of voters, including 82 percent of people who voted for President Donald Trump, are concerned about the cost of groceries, with half of the voters surveyed characterizing groceries as very or extremely expensive, while nearly 3 in 4 parents say their monthly grocery bill has increased in the past three months, according to a new poll commissioned by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) and conducted by RealClear Opinion Research.
The Trump administration increased the Section 232 tariffs on tinplate steel used to make food cans from 25 percent to 50 percent in June, and the poll shows that Americans understand the connection between these tariffs and increased food costs, with 70 percent of Trump voters agreeing that tariffs on materials like tinplate steel are making groceries more expensive.
Tinplate steel is a specialized product, and its production makes up less than 1 percent of total steel production worldwide, CMI says. Nearly 80 percent of tinplate for domestic can manufacturing is imported.
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