Survey finds Merced residents battle inflation, food insecurity, bills | Opinion

For decades, the American middle class was defined by a simple, reliable promise: If you worked hard and stayed the course, you could afford a home, a car and a path to the future for your children. Today, that promise feels less like a foundation and more like a luxury.

Despite a resilient labor market, the 2026 economic landscape remains defined by a “misery index” that, while lower than the 1970s, is fueled by the eroding purchasing power of the median paycheck.

Families in Merced County have been particularly impacted. Congress continues to fail to understand the plight of middle-income America — specifically those living in rural California. Merced families are struggling under the weight of inflation and soaring living costs, forcing many to make painful choices.

Merced residents are struggling

Legacy Health Endowment, a community health center in Turlock, collaborated with J. Wallin Opinion Research to uncover the challenges facing families.

A 2025 poll found 79% of Merced County residents struggle to pay bills, buy food, or cover medical costs. Twenty-three percent skipped filling a prescription due to cost.

Thirty-four percent couldn’t eat three meals a day because of cost or scarcity; 24% got by on just one meal.

A quarter of residents avoided going to a grocery store due to rising inflation and the overall cost of living, while 24% avoided going to the doctor.

Beyond health care, Merced County families are grappling with fundamental survival: More than half (52%) are struggling to pay their bills; nearly a supermajority (63%) is living paycheck to paycheck with no ability to save; nearly a quarter (23%) have fallen behind on utility payments within the past six months; and more than a quarter (26%) have not been able to make a credit card payment during that time.

Compounding these problems is the fact that only 10% of Merced County residents feel the government can — or will — do anything to alleviate the challenges.

What can be done

In Washington, D.C., there has been legislation to provide temporary relief through increased standard deductions and the Child Tax Credit. However, we cannot spend our way out of a cost-of-living crisis. Real affordability for middle-income families requires a fundamental shift toward expanding supply and removing the regulatory roadblocks that keep prices high.

While “affordability” is the political buzzword of the day, it’s not a new problem, but it is a problem that is only getting worse. Middle-income families cannot afford to buy a home. We need more Americans to stop living paycheck to paycheck. This requires changing how people are taxed, making health care more affordable and creating a reality-based affordability index that demonstrates how Americans are increasingly part of the new culture of saving.

Middle-income families in Merced County and across America need a hand up, not a handout. They need to keep more money in their pocket to feed families, afford health care and save for the future.

To do so requires changing the status quo by cutting taxes for those who genuinely need them. Imagine Congress and California’s state legislature helping middle-income families by refunding all or part of their tax dollars.

For the next two years, lawmakers could give a full tax refund to families earning 139% to 400% of the federal poverty level, and a 50% refund to those earning 400% to 700%.

And for families who put at least 10% of their tax refund into a new Trump Savings Account or a Roth Savings Account, the government could match their contribution with a 25% match.

The path to the American dream is not just survival; it is the ability to save for the future and afford the necessities of life for their families.

Jeffrey Lewis is president and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment. Justin Wallin is president of J Wallin Opinion Research.