A near majority of Maryland residents are feeling disillusioned with the direction of the state, in particular the cost of living, a statewide poll conducted for The Baltimore Banner shows.

About 84% of Marylanders said they worry sometimes or every day about money, a statistic pollster Steve Raabe said was the worst he’s seen from Marylanders in the last 20 years.

Asked if things in Maryland were heading in the right or wrong direction, 47% of respondents said they believed the state to be on the “wrong track.” The poll, which surveyed 928 residents by phone and web from Oct. 7-10, found just 39% of respondents believed the state to be moving down the right path.

“There is pessimism and anxiety in the electorate right now,” said Raabe, who conducted the poll for Annapolis-based OpinionWorks. “Maryland voters right now are in a dark mood.”

The results of the poll show a shift in thinking compared to a survey conducted in April 2024. Then, a Goucher Poll conducted for The Banner showed 43% of Marylanders felt the state was headed in the right direction while 40% believed it to be on the wrong track.

The pessimistic turn coincides with President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, an administration Marylanders regard poorly, according to the poll. Sixty-five percent of Marylanders surveyed said they disapproved of the president’s performance. Respondents gave the president even worse marks on the cost of living — 73% disapproved of his performance — and on tariffs, which garnered 67% disapproval.

Economic concerns weighed heavily on the minds of Marylanders surveyed — 49% said they are worse off today compared to four years ago. Just 22% said they believed they were better off.

“The level of worry is off the charts,” Raabe said. “It’s a blinking warning sign for all elected officials. They need to get on top of this.”

Jennifer Plummer, a 46-year-old Democrat from Frederick County, said it has grown increasingly difficult to afford necessities as the price of food rises and health issues have struck her family. Plummer’s husband’s hourly job at a grocery store had kept the family afloat, but he has been out of work due to a heart condition, she said. He is due to lose his insurance at the end of the year.

“It’s a struggle. I’m just trying to survive,” Plummer said. “I’m trying to keep the roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.”

Carin Cardella, a government employee with the University System of Maryland who spoke to The Banner in her personal capacity, said the cost of living for her young family has become an increasing burden even with two good salaries. Born and raised in Maryland and dedicated to staying, Cardella, 37, a Democrat, bought a house with her husband in Baltimore at the end of the pandemic, when interest rates were spiking.

Between a high mortgage and day care costs, the family is feeling it, she said. Cardella said she’s hoping the current level of financial strain is temporary.

The cost of housing was a sore spot for many Marylanders polled. Asked to rate affordability in their communities, just over 3 in 4 respondents had a negative outlook. Forty-three percent said housing affordability was poor, while 34% ranked it as fair.

About a third of respondents rent their homes, while the remainder are homeowners.

Aileen Pincus, an Annapolis resident in her 50s, said she downsized from a home in Montgomery County as her children got older. In Montgomery County, she found none of the people she interacted with each day, from teachers to firefighters, could afford to live there.

Pincus’ children are looking at the housing market across the state with alarm.

“Our kids say it all the time: ‘We can’t live here. Who can afford a home?’” Pincus said. “I know the housing here is impossible.”

Pincus, a Democrat, said she would like to see state leaders address housing prices, but she fears that’s not coming soon. Trump administration decisions, including mass layoffs of federal employees and cuts to federal funding, have strained Maryland’s economy — including Pincus’ small business, a consulting group that specializes in training. She’s cut back on expenses such as marketing as a result.

“I think all of those policy changes are out of reach until we’re out of this hole,” Pincus said.

Still, Pincus said her life experience gives her reason for optimism.

“I’ve been here long enough and worked through enough administrations to know they always end,” she said. “Whether it’s good times or bad times and the economy is doing well or not, it’s going to end.”

Taxes and the cost of living topped the list when respondents were surveyed on what they most wished they could change about living in Maryland. Transportation options and crime were also leading concerns.

When respondents were asked what they would like Maryland leaders to address, however, crime jumped to the top of the list, cited by 26% of those surveyed. Taxes were an almost equal priority, mentioned by one-quarter of poll respondents.

Despite overall concern about crime, Marylanders surveyed by and large said they felt safe in their neighborhoods. About 3 in 4 reported feeling very safe or somewhat safe.

Concern about crime was higher in the Baltimore area, however, with 32% of Baltimore County residents surveyed saying they feel somewhat unsafe or very unsafe. About 31% of city residents polled felt the same.

Baltimore has recently experienced a stark reduction in violent crime. The city has recorded 107 homicides this year. For almost a decade, it saw more than 300 each year.

Joy Quaintance, 52, who lives in Baltimore’s Curtis Bay, said the decreases can’t be felt at the street level. Quaintance, a Democrat, said police don’t respond to her neighborhood unless there is a body on the ground.

“They say, ‘Oh, crime is down.’ Sure, sure sure. Crime is down technically, but if you live in buttcrack Baltimore, it is still terrible,” she said.

Some respondents who named crime as their primary concern had fewer brushes with it. Vincent Carney, 72, an unaffiliated resident of Harford County, said addressing crime should be the top priority for lawmakers but not in his backyard.

Carney cited a visit to Baltimore 10 to 15 years ago when he felt threatened by a group of men who were “closing in” on him.

“Luckily, I saw a cop car coming and they scattered. Otherwise, I’d be a dead man,” he said. “I’ve not been back to Baltimore, and I never will.”

Arbutus resident Isaias Silvestre, 23, said the city is misunderstood. He delivered food for DoorDash, opting for the city deliveries that paid better. Silvestre and his friends frequent Baltimore night spots and don’t feel unsafe, he said. He hopes to buy a home there or in Prince George’s County in the next year.

“Most people just have a very narrow framework of what Baltimore is,” he said. “A lot of people just think of ‘The Wire.’”

Baltimore Banner reporters Brenda Wintrode and Lee O. Sanderlin contributed to this article.