NEW YORK, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- American families are struggling to balance household budgets as the inflation rose 7 percent in 2021, the largest 12-month increase since 1982, U.S. newspaper Hawaii Tribune-Herald has reported.
The energy is up about 30 percent overall, with gasoline prices climbing nearly 50 percent, it noted.
A whopping 65 percent of Americans believe the current administration has not focused enough on inflation, showed a new CBS News/YouGov poll released recently.
"The White House defends (Joe) Biden's avoidance of inflation by saying there's little a president can do about rising prices. They blame the pandemic and breakdowns in the supply chain for driving up costs," the report said. ■