feeling

Dec. 24 (UPI) — Americans are not in a jolly mood when it comes to spending for the holidays, with a majority saying it’s been difficult to afford things, according to a CBS News/YouGov survey released Wednesday.

The nationally representative sample of 2,267 U.S. adults was interviewed between Dec. 15 and 17, and asked 16 questions about the holidays and the economy in general.

With items costing more now than they did last year, respondents cut down on gifts, entertainment and travel.

When asked about things to buy for the holiday, 58% said it would be difficult, including 17% “very difficult” and 41% “somewhat difficult.” Conversely, 8% said it will be “very easy to afford” and 34% “somewhat easy.”

Regarding prices compared with last year, 27% said they cost “a lot more,” 44% “a little more,” 24% “the same” and 5% “little less” or “lot less.”

People with lower incomes obviously are struggling more.

For family incomes under $50,00, it is “difficult to afford” for 71% versus 56% for $50,000 to $100,000 versus 58% more than $100,000.

Based on the type of gifts, 42% say they are buying fewer gifts for others, 32% less for food and drinks, 48% for airlines/travel and 50% for entertainment. Of those categories, more spending was 5% for airlines/travel, 6% for entertainment, 16% gifts for others, and 17% food and drinks.

Despite financial concerns, the respondents are more positive this holiday season with 48% saying they feel “grateful,” 43% “happy,” 39% “stressed,” 29% “excited,” 29% “exhausted” and 23% “sad.”

People are preferring to avoid paying for things on credit. It breaks down to 45% using no credit, 30% using some, 16% using mostly credit and 9% using all credit.

People were also asked about the economy in general, with 32% saying it is good and 63% bad.

Thirty-two percent of people said their financial situation was good for them, down from 39% in July. Since January is has been in the 30s.

Compared with past years, 41% said it is worse in 2025, 36% not changed and 22% better.

Inflation is on people’s minds with 76% saying their income hasn’t kept up with their income, which is close to 75% in July and 77% in February. The annual inflation rate in the United States is 2.7% ending in November compared with 3.0% in September 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Respondents were negative about the job market with 5% saying it’s “very good,” 29% “fairly good,” 32% “fairly bad,” 20% “very bad” and 14% not sure. The national unemployment rate was 4.6%, released by the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflecting the labor market status for November.

Among the bright spots, more Americans rate the condition of the stock market as good than bad, especially for those whom the market’s performance matters a lot to their finances. The stock market was listed as 10% “very good,” 32% “fairly good,” 14% “fairly bad,” 6% “very bad” and 38% “not sure.”

Another good sign is gas prices, with 32% saying they are going down compared with 12% in October. Only 20% say fuel prices are going up vs. 34% in October, with 33% saying the are the same vs. 38% two months ago.

The current average is around $2.85 per gallon for unleaded, compared with $3.04 a year ago, according to AAA. The highest average was $5.02 on June 14, 2022.

The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide, according to gender, age, race and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is 2.5 points.

Described as ‘haunting’ and ‘disturbing’ the 12-episode show is certainly not for the faint of heart

A supernatural horror series on Netflix is winning rave reviews from viewers who are hailing it as ‘perfect’ and ‘disturbing’ – and it boasts a rare 100 per cent Rotten Tomatoes rating.

The Summer Hikaru Died centres around a town still recovering from the disappearance of a young schoolboy, Hikaru (Shuichiro Umeda), who vanishes for a week into a forbidden forest in the mountains. When he returns, it becomes apparent to his best friend Yoshiki (Chiaki Kobayashi) that he has come back fundamentally changed – but by what?

As per Netflix’s synopsis: “Two best friends living in a rural Japanese village: Yoshiki and Hikaru. Growing up together, they were inseparable… until the day Hikaru came back from the mountains, and was no longer himself. Something has taken over Hikaru’s body, memories, feelings… and everything they know begins to unravel.”

As Yoshiki grapples with the grief of his losing his best friend while maintaining a friendship with the shell of him, he finds himself losing grip of his emotions and questioning if he’s truly safe with Hikaru in his life.

Love horror? Sign up for our free TV, film and streaming newsletter Scream Society so you never miss a new release

The 12-part anime series blends horror with a coming-of-age tale, and many have praised its LGBTQ+ undertones. It is based on a comic of the same name by manga creator Mokumokuren.

At time of writing the Japanese language show has an impressive 100 per cent critics’ score while viewers awarded it a strong 87 per cent, with plenty of praise for the animation style.

One glowing review praising its director read: “Ryohei Takeshita’s direction is something to behold. His masterful orchestration of perspective, textures, and spatial composition is reminiscent of Twin Peaks in its gift for making the ordinary feel faintly poisoned.”

“The Summer Hikaru Died is the perfect series for horror fans to experience a haunting, heartfelt reminder that anime still has the power to surprise, disturb, and move viewers,” another show fan penned, while a third added: “Each episode leaves you with a constant feeling of unease, which doesn’t rely too heavily on jump scares but instead focuses on building tension.”

Tentative anime watchers were reassured by one viewer, who gushed: “This is the most interesting animated series I’ve ever seen. It’s use of animation is so fun and unique, working perfectly in tandem with the surreal plot. The whole tone of the show is spectacular.”

The Summer Hikaru Died is now streaming on Netflix

The holidays have arrived once again. You know, that annual festival of goodwill, compulsory spending and the dawning realization that Santa and Satan are anagrams.

Even in the best of years, Americans stagger through this season feeling financially woozy. This year, however, the picture is bleaker. And a growing number of Americans are feeling Grinchy.

Unemployment is at a four-year high, with Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, declaring, “The U.S. economy is in a hiring recession.” And a new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll finds that 70% of Americans say “the cost of living in the area where they live is not very affordable or not affordable at all.”

Is help on the way? Not likely. Affordable Care Act subsidies are expiring, and — despite efforts to force a vote in the House — it’s highly likely that nothing will be done about this before the end of the year. This translates to ballooning health insurance bills for millions of Americans. I will be among those hit with a higher monthly premium, which gives me standing to complain.

President Trump, meanwhile, remains firmly committed to policies that will exacerbate the rising cost of getting by. Trump’s tariffs — unless blocked by the Supreme Court — will continue to raise prices. And when it comes to his immigration crackdown, Trump is apparently unmoved by the tiresome fact that when you “disappear” workers, prices tend to go up.

Taken together, the Trump agenda amounts to an ambitious effort to raise the cost of living without the benefit of improved living standards. But if your money comes from crypto or Wall Street investments, you’re doing better than ever!

For the rest of us, the only good news is this: Unlike every other Trump scandal, most voters actually seem to care about what’s happening to their pocketbooks.

Politico recently found that erstwhile Trump voters backed Democrats in the 2025 governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia for the simple reason that things cost too much.

And Axios reports on a North Carolina focus group in which “11 of the 14 participants, all of whom backed Trump last November, said they now disapprove of his job performance. And 12 of the 14 say they’re more worried about the economy now than they were in January.”

Apparently, inflation is the ultimate reality check — which is horrible news for Republicans.

Trump’s great talent has always been the audacity to employ a “fake it ‘till you make it” con act to project just enough certainty to persuade the rest of us.

His latest (attempted) Jedi mind trick involves claiming prices are “coming down tremendously,” which is not supported by data or the lived experience of anyone who shops.

He also says inflation is “essentially gone,” which is true only if you define “gone” as “slowed its increase.”

Trump may dismiss the affordability crisis as a “hoax” and a “con job,” but voters persist in believing the grocery scanner.

In response, Trump has taken to warning us that falling prices could cause “deflation,” which he now says is even worse than inflation. He’s not wrong about the economic theory, but it hardly seems worth worrying about given that prices are not falling.

Apparently, economic subtlety is something you acquire only after winning the White House.

Naturally, Trump wants to blame Joe Biden, the guy who staggered out of office 11 months ago. And yes, pandemic disruptions and massive stimulus spending helped fuel inflation. But voters elected Trump to fix the problem, which he promised to do “on Day One.”

Lacking tangible results, Trump is reverting to what has always worked for him: the assumption that — if he confidently repeats it enough times — his version of reality will triumph over math.

The difficulty now is that positive thinking doesn’t swipe at the register.

You can lie about the size of your inauguration crowd — no normal person can measure it and nobody cares. But you cannot tell people standing in line at the grocery store that prices are falling when they are actively handing over more money.

Pretending everything is fine goes over even worse when a billionaire president throws Gatsby-themed parties, renovates the Lincoln Bedroom and builds a huge new ballroom at the White House. The optics are horrible, and there’s no doubt they are helping fuel the political backlash.

But the main problem is the main problem.

At the end of the day, the one thing voters really care about is their pocketbooks. No amount of spin or “manifesting” an alternate reality will change that.

Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”