{"id":830,"date":"2026-05-28T17:05:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=830"},"modified":"2026-05-28T17:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:05:06","slug":"winthrop-poll-sc-residents-struggle-with-grocery-prices-cant-afford-to-eat-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=830","title":{"rendered":"Winthrop poll: SC residents struggle with grocery prices, can\u2019t afford to eat out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most South Carolina residents can\u2019t afford to go out to dinner, and they\u2019re having a hard time paying for groceries too, according to new research from Winthrop University<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more A family-owned restaurant has been named the best soul food in Charlotte<\/a><\/p>\n

The Winthrop Poll<\/a> released economic and affordability figures Thursday that show residents across the state feel the economy isn\u2019t as strong as it was a year ago \u2014 and it\u2019s getting worse. Everything from prescriptions to vacations are difficult to pay for, the poll found.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s national forces that impact inflation and similar economic factors that impact costs, people here \u201cfeel pushed to the economic brink,\u201d Winthrop Poll director Scott Huffmon said in Thursday\u2019s release.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings that may have been seen as simple pleasures in the past, such as taking an annual vacation or occasionally going out to dinner, feel out of reach for most South Carolinians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Here are more details from the poll taken from nearly 1,500 South Carolina adult residents from April 29 to May 12:<\/p>\n

Winthrop polls come out several times each year on timely social topics, and often include breakdowns by political affiliation.<\/p>\n

Economic questions from past polls on issues from general financial climate to tariffs often broke down by party, depending on who was president at the time. This one doesn\u2019t split the data by party, but instead goes deeper into topics such as grocery affordability and healthcare costs.<\/p>\n

Read more Did all that rain help extreme drought in Charlotte region? Only a little<\/a><\/p>\n

Winthrop University funded the poll through its Center for Public Opinion & Policy Research.<\/p>\n

Huffmon acknowledges that local or even state politics can only do so much to curb prices on household goods.<\/p>\n

As early voting is underway statewide for party primaries<\/a>, with offices from Congress to governor to county council representatives on the ballot, he recognizes there\u2019s always a heavy emphasis on polls of likely voters for the next election.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery often,\u201d Huffmon said, \u201cthat obscures the opinions and daily struggles of the typical South Carolinian.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 12:52 PM<\/span> with the headline “Winthrop poll: SC residents struggle with grocery prices, can\u2019t afford to eat out.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Rock Hill cuts bus service. Will Fort Mill-Charlotte CATS route be next to go?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winthrop Poll: nearly 67% in South Carolina find groceries hard to afford; 59% struggle with healthcare and 61% can't afford dining out, per new state survey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":829,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nWinthrop poll: SC residents struggle with grocery prices, can\u2019t afford to eat out - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=830\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Winthrop poll: SC residents struggle with grocery prices, can\u2019t afford to eat out - 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