Americans are losing patience with the grocery industry, per Gallup survey

Years of inflation are grating on the national mood, with polls repeatedly finding that price rises are the most important issue for Americans — and the public is starting to blame the grocery industry itself.

Gallup’s annual Work and Education survey for 2024, released last week, asks Americans about their feelings towards US industries, and found that two major food sectors — grocery and restaurant — are now rated much less highly than a year ago.

While the restaurant industry was still rated favorably overall, with 52% of adults surveyed viewing the sector as very or somewhat positive, this was down from 61% in 2023. However, favorable opinions of the grocery industry fell by 8%, with just 33% of participants having a net positive view of the sector, marking the first time since 2001 that Americans have expressed a net negative rating of the grocery industry.

With food prices still hovering near all-time highs, this may not come as much of a shock, and a recent string of bacterial outbreaks and product recalls are likely to have contributed to the record-low confidence in the US government’s food safety assurances.

Interestingly, America’s favorite industry is that of the people who fill much of our grocery store shelves, with farming/agriculture the most positively rated industry, scoring 64% in the latest survey. So, it seems that we tend to like the people that grow our food more than the people that sell it.

Meanwhile, America’s view of the sports industry has significantly improved, with positive views of the sector up 11% from 2023 — presumably, Team USA topping so many podiums at the Paris Olympics didn’t hurt. Retail, accounting, and even the federal government also saw their public perceptions improve. 

America’s least-liked industries? Pharmaceuticals and advertising/PR with just 20% of respondents having a “very or somewhat” positive view of those sectors.