2026 Summer/Fall Connecticut Consumer Outlook

While opinions about the national economy diverge sharply along partisan lines, the CBIA Foundation Economic Growth & Opportunity’s 2026 Summer/Fall Connecticut Consumer Outlook shows residents agree on one thing—life is getting more expensive and many feel worse off financially than a year ago.

The foundation partnered with the University of New Hampshire Survey Center’s States of Opinion Project for the first time to produce the Connecticut Consumer Outlook, made possible with the generous support of Thomaston Savings Bank.

The findings—outlined in greater detail below—tell a consistent story. Connecticut residents are feeling sustained financial pressure, regardless of income or political affiliation.

While partisanship shapes how residents interpret the broader national economy, there is much greater agreement about the pressures they are experiencing at home.

This snapshot captures a point in time where residents are yearning for relief, greater affordability, and a strong economy, but many don’t believe the state is moving fast enough to deliver those results and are desperate for local action regardless of what is happening at the federal level.