As the cost of living in Colorado rises, residents are delaying health and dental care, forgoing activities they enjoy and taking on additional debt, the Colorado Health Foundation’s 2026 Pulse Poll findings show.

According to the poll, 76% of respondents worry they won’t be able to afford living in Colorado in the future. In 2025, that number was 70%.

Almost half the people polled said they postponed or delayed medical or dental care in the last year; 32% said they worry about losing their home because they can’t afford rent or a mortgage; 73% said they cut back on recreation and entertainment spending; and 55% reduced their charitable giving.

To get those percentages, the foundation polled 2,240 Colorado adults by telephone and online between March 14 and April 9.

“These findings suggest that affordability challenges are no longer simply affecting household budgets; they are changing how people live, care for themselves and their families, support their communities and plan for the future,” the news release said.

Only about one quarter of respondents reported living comfortably with savings this year.

Small business owner Maria Cooper, who owns Tree of Life Childcare in Thornton, said her clients are facing serious cost-of-living challenges that also impact her business, the news release said.

Cooper is in the process of opening a new location for her business and is grappling with rising costs of educational materials, food and permitting, she said.

Poll respondents also noted that their top concern is government and politics, with cost of living being second.

Of respondents, 85% rated the cost of living as an extremely or very serious problem, with housing concerns especially prominent among young people. Housing costs are a serious concern to 90% of Gen Z respondents and 94% of millennials.

“What we’re hearing is that financial pressure is a daily reality for many Coloradans, including those with higher incomes,” said Katie Peshek, senior communications officer with The Colorado Health Foundation, in the release. “Affordability challenges are creating persistent uncertainty, while frustration with government and political division continues to grow. The findings underscore how closely economic stability, health and well-being are connected.”

More information about the poll and responses is available on the Pulse Poll website.