Hard-hit Families are Making Difficult Tradeoffs Between Affording Food and Paying for Other Necessities
Baltimore, MD – A new poll from No Kid Hungry finds that an overwhelming majority (85%) of Marylanders report that their incomes are not keeping up with the steadily increasing costs of purchasing food. This comes on the heels of a national AP-NORC poll that shows that most Americans are highly stressed about grocery costs. The Maryland poll, conducted by Change Research, shows that the stress is impacting respondents’ health, with 58% saying that their mental health has suffered in the last twelve months due to the cost of food.
For many people, this stress is brought on by the difficult financial choices forced on them by rising food costs. Faced with high prices at the grocery store, 65% of Marylanders have to choose between purchasing food and paying for other necessities, such as gas, utilities and housing. These tradeoffs are being faced across the economic spectrum. Two-thirds of respondents with annual household incomes between $75,000 and $125,000 are struggling with the choice of paying for groceries or other expenses. Seven in ten families with children under the age of 18 face the same dilemma.
Many Marylanders are one minor emergency away from facing hunger. When asked about their ability to buy groceries if faced with an unexpected $500 expense, like a car repair or medical bill, two thirds of families polled said they would be very or somewhat worried.
“This poll paints a stark picture of how Maryland families are suffering. No one should have to choose between purchasing food and paying your rent, but that’s an all-too-familiar choice our neighbors find themselves having to make,” said Ayesha Holmes, No Kid Hungry Maryland director. “With impending cuts to SNAP and Medicaid on the way, Maryland families will continue to face a future impacted by hunger and undue worry.”
Marylanders want continued protection of food access in the state. The majority (59%) hold favorable opinions of SNAP, with just 18% holding an unfavorable opinion of the federal food assistance program. When it comes to participation in the Summer EBT program, 83% say Maryland should continue the program to ensure that children have access to nutritious food during the summer when school is not in session.
Poll results show that Marylanders overwhelmingly agree that elected officials need to take action to address childhood hunger. Nearly all (96%) agree that child hunger should not exist in the state, and more than eight in ten would like elected officials to do more to end child hunger. A strong majority (93%) say that ending childhood hunger in Maryland should be a shared, bipartisan goal for lawmakers.
Using its Dynamic Online Sampling Engine to obtain a sample reflective of the adult population in Maryland, Change Research polled 1,054 people statewide from July 22-29, 2025. The modeled margin of error is 4.0%.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org.
