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Less than a third of residents polled expected their finances to improve over the coming year.

By Abby Patkin

May 11, 2026 | 2:56 PM

2 minutes to read

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A sizable number of Bay Staters feel their quality of life is heading in the wrong direction as middle-class touchstones like homeownership slip further out of reach, a new survey from MassINC Polling Group found.

Survey results reveal a “deepening economic pessimism,” MassINC explained in a news release. The 854 Massachusetts residents who were polled reported “widespread difficulty affording both the basics and major life purchases,” the organization added. 

More than half of respondents overall said housing is unaffordable for their household, but that number climbs to 65% among Bay Staters between the ages of 35 and 44, according to the poll. Many residents also cited healthcare, higher education, and taxes as some of their budget strains, and over a third reported difficulty affording groceries or childcare. 

Forty percent of respondents said their family’s quality of life had gotten worse over the past five years, according to the poll, while 42% said they are now worse off financially than they were a year ago. Less than a third said they are better off than their parents, MassINC noted — a sharp decrease from 50% in 2011. 

Only 27% of respondents expected their finances to improve over the coming year. Meanwhile, the cost of keeping up a middle class lifestyle has continued to skyrocket; according to MassINC, respondents estimated that families would need a household income of between $97,000 and $112,000 just to stay in the middle of the pack. 

Financial pressures are also reshaping, delaying, or even preventing middle-class milestones like buying a home and planning for retirement, according to the poll. 

“Perhaps because of their pervasive economic pessimism, residents overwhelmingly say that if they had the means, their top priority would be saving more for the future,” MassINC added. 

Only 15% of respondents said they had plenty left over after paying their bills, while 42% said they had a little extra and 29% said they had just enough to cover their expenses. And according to MassINC, a plurality of respondents say Massachusetts is a better place for wealthy people to live and a worse one for everyone else. 

“Massachusetts may not be alone when it comes to high costs, but residents think the Commonwealth isn’t making it any easier,” pollsters explained. “At the same time, many believe the state government prioritizes either the very wealthy or the very poor, leaving the middle class to fend for itself.”