Voters support strong consumer protections as debt forces families to cut back on everyday essentials

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Voters across party lines want elected officials to stand up to Wall Street and Big Tech and to crack down on abusive financial practices that contribute to the affordability crisis, according to polling released by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and Americans for Financial Reform (AFR). The survey was conducted by the bipartisan polling team Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting. Nearly half of voters report that they or someone in their household has cut back on essentials like food, clothing, or gas because of debt, while overwhelming majorities support protections to lower fees and hold financial companies accountable.

“As the nation’s affordability crisis deepens, Americans overwhelmingly support the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s mission of holding financial companies accountable for predatory practices like illegally overcharging consumers. The Administration should restore this watchdog agency’s funding and allow it to fulfill its mission,” said Mike Calhoun, president of the Center for Responsible Lending.

The survey was conducted by the bipartisan polling team Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting.
“From food and gas to housing and healthcare, the cost of living for everyday families is up,” said Tom Feltner, associate director of consumer policy at Americans for Financial Reform. “Under the Trump Administration, Big Tech and Wall Street have been given a green light to drive up costs, trap people in debt, and make a fortune from it. The findings are clear: voters want rules and accountability to address those costs.”

Other key findings from the poll:

  • Large numbers of voters are struggling with debt. More than half of voters say they or someone in their household has experienced high levels of stress or anxiety related to debt or bills in the past two years; 47% have cut back on daily essentials, and 38% have reduced retirement savings because of debt.
  • Voters are very concerned about Wall Street and Big Tech influence in Washington and support elected officials who stand up to powerful interests that are making life less affordable. Nearly three-quarters of voters (72%) say Big Tech’s influence in Washington is too high, and 63% say they would be more likely to vote for a member of Congress who supports keeping the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
  • Voters want to see a crackdown on high-cost financial products to make life more affordable. More than four in five voters support reinstating a $5 cap on overdraft fees and an $8 cap on credit card late fees (82% each).
  • Voters across party lines support financial regulation and want companies to be held accountable. Nine in ten voters (92%) say it is important to regulate financial services and products to ensure they are fair for consumers, including 97% of Democrats, 90% of independents and weak partisans, and 91% of Republicans.

Read the polling memo on affordability as well as topline results for 2026 and from 2020 to 2026.

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Press Contact: Matthew Kravitz matthew.kravitz@responsiblelending.org, Jarice Thompson, jarice@ourfinancialsecurity.org