Americans Sour on the Stock Market, New Sports Leagues With Growing Fan Bases, and Swapping Meat for Beans

The latest trends in society and culture from The Harris Poll

Hello from NYC.

One interesting number: 49. Don’t confuse loyalty with integrity. Half of consumers (49%) don’t trust even their favorite brands to be authentic.

1. Americans Have Widespread Misperceptions of the Stock Market

The overall U.S. stock market is up by 17.3% over the past 12-month period. But you wouldn’t know that in talking to ordinary Americans, The Guardian reveals in our new poll:

The Guardian Headline: Two in five Americans believe stock market only serves the top 1%

Guardian - The Harris Poll July 22, 2026

What we found: Two-thirds of Americans (65%) wrongly believe that a growing stock market means the economy is growing as well.
The stat you can’t ignore: Two in five (38%) don’t know the economy and stock market aren’t the same thing.
What to consider: It’s more than simple misconceptions, but a larger trend of Americans feeling the stock market isn’t for them. A third say they would “have higher financial returns focusing more on gambling than today’s stock market” – jumping to nearly half of Gen Z (44%) and Millennials (46%).

What this means: Even beyond the misconceptions, the stock market hasn’t worked for regular Americans. Both the Dow Jones and Nasdaq are also up this year, yet only a small number of Americans got a payday, given half of the stock market is owned by the top 1% compared to the bottom 50% owning 1% of the market.

2. The Next Sports Leagues Are Ready for Prime Time

The Men’s World Cup may have ended, but that doesn’t mean brands can’t build on that momentum. Several upstart leagues are building fandom in our new sports survey.

What we found: The Big 4 leagues might still win on reach, but they aren’t winning on momentum anymore. New women’s leagues – LOVB, PWHL, and Unrivaled – topped our Sports Momentum Index.
The stat you can’t ignore: Nike reported having sold 2.5 times as many soccer kits by this World Cup’s midpoint as the entirety of the 2022 event, while Adidas has enjoyed $1.7 billion in World Cup-related sales, above a previous estimation of $1.1 billion.
What to consider: The Men’s World Cup kicked off a three-year sporting supercycle with the upcoming Women’s World Cup and the LA28 Summer Olympics. Half of Americans have dubbed these tentpole events the most anticipated stretch of sport in the next three years.

What this means: Chasing audience size doesn’t guarantee a worthwhile ROI anymore when investing in leagues that are long past their peak in relevance. So while most marketing budgets have a sports line item, many are investing in the wrong leagues.

3. The Economy Is Changing Our Grocery List

We know inflation and tariffs have been impacting grocery receipts, but diet choices may just be making it even pricier. So, consumers are switching meals to stretch their budgets, and some are even becoming vegetarian.

"Vegetarianism can save you a lot of money!" chart

What we found: Two-thirds of meat eaters (67%) worry about the impact of their meat consumption on their household finances – more so than their personal health (64%), animal welfare (64%), or environmental concerns (58%).
The stat you can’t ignore: A study found vegetarian diets are saving consumers on average $130 a month.
What to consider: When the USDA estimates consumers spend an average of 11.2% of their income on groceries, your preferred diet is having real impacts on how much you either spend or save.

What this means: When two-thirds of Americans today (67%) are concerned about affording their living expenses, Costco’s $1.50 hot dog and soda combo could be a carnivore’s perfect treat as they fill their carts with beans instead of ground beef.

Discover more at theharrispoll.com.
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