• Michigan voters increasingly say the economy is weakening, according to a new poll by the Detroit Regional Chamber
• Voters fear that tariffs are to blame for higher costs of staples such as groceries
• Support for the tariffs and concern about the economy are split among party affiliations

Nearly 60% of Michigan voters believe the economy is weakening, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Detroit Regional Chamber that attributes diminishing confidence to tariffs.

“There are warning signs throughout this poll that don’t bode well for business or Michigan’s economic outlook or competitiveness,” Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the chamber, said Tuesday in releasing the group’s periodic pulse-taking of the state’s economic issues.

Voters expressed concerns about the cost of groceries and the job market, with most saying they are paying more for groceries, utilities and other staples.

Ultimately, this year’s new federal tariffs — supported by some manufacturers— “are a prime driver for … the increased concern about economic situations,” Baruah said Tuesday.

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The Trump administration over recent months set new tariffs, raising import taxes and in some cases setting punitive rates. The goal, he said, was to prompt production shifts to the US. However, many American businesses with global supply chains also were impacted, as were foreign companies doing business in the US.

American automakers could pay more than $100 billion more under the tariffs, according to the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research.

“Voters’ concerns appear to be catching up with the realities that Michigan is at a disproportionate economic risk,” Baruah said, noting that a fifth of Michiganders work in automotive and manufacturing. Agriculture also is adversely affected, he said.

The findings come from the chamber’s latest statewide poll of 600 registered Michigan voters in partnership with the Glengariff Group Inc.

Polling was done in mid-September, before Michigan’s budget was finalized in early October. The margin of error was  plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll found heightened anxiety, even in the face of traditionally strong economic metrics. Michigan also is among 11 states whose economies grew in the first quarter of 2025, but barely: the state eked out a 0.19% increase in gross domestic product.

The national gross domestic product rose 3.3% in the second quarter, while the stock market is up about 8% this year.

General Motors Corp. has beat projections, announcing Tuesday that it expects to make more in 2025 than last year. Last week, Stellantis announced it is investing $13 billion into US factories, including in Michigan.

But just over 60% of poll respondents say they believe the tariffs could hurt the state’s auto industry, even though more than 4 in 10 support the higher taxes on imports.

Most tariff supporters are Republicans, said Richard Czuba, president of chamber polling partner The Glengariff Group. That signals an increasing trend in recent years for people to weigh the economy based on how they feel about the political party in power, he said.

“The optimism we’re seeing in the economy is coming from the Republican side, and it’s very clearly tied to politics,” Czuba said.

Almost 40% of voters expect a recession in the next year, he said. That’s lower than in 2023, and “driven by Democrats’” pessimism.

One surprise in the tariff results is the intensity of reaction, Czuba said.

The strongest support comes from blue-collar workers, he added, while professional workers are “the exact opposite.”

While 72% of Michigan voters believe that tariffs cause higher prices, 41% of those who identify as strong Republicans say they “have no impact on what they pay,” Czuba said.

The poll follows a study from Anderson Economic Group that predicts the impact of tariffs will worsen. The East Lansing firm calculated that the automotive tariff burden through October will exceed $10.6 billion, just on Canadian and Mexican parts and completed vehicles.

“This is a huge tariff bill on US automakers that have integrated their production with plants in Canada and Mexico,” said Patrick L. Anderson, principal and CEO.

That total does not include separate tariffs on steel and aluminum, nor imports from Europe or Asia, he added.

“There is no way for $10 billion to be absorbed by the automakers and suppliers alone,” he said. “Consumers and workers are going to bear some of these costs.”

Business Watch