Historical Lows in U.S. Consumer Sentiment Rank Month & Year Index Value Main Drivers 1 June 2022 50.0 Post-COVID inflation, supply chain disruption 2 April 2025 (preliminary) 50.8 Tariff anxiety, inflation and recession fear 3 May 1980 51.7 Stagflation, double-digit inflation 4 April 1980 52.7 Stagflation, double-digit inflation 5 November 2008 55.3 Global financial crisis 6 August 2011 55.3 Debt ceiling crisis Data source: https://data.sca.isr.umich.edu Concerns of rising inflation, spiking recession fears, and President Donald Trump’s latest moves on trade tariffs have combined to push public sentiment off a cliff.