From Cart to Cost: What Tariffs Are Really Doing to Made in America: How the 'Buy American' Ideal Clashes with Budgetary Reality

With international trade once again dominating political headlines, tariffs are making a noisy return to public discourse. But while policymakers debate protectionism and global supply chains, many American households are feeling the effects in quieter, more personal ways, at the supermarket, the pharmacy or the petrol pump.

At Bolt Insight, we wanted to move beyond political theory and dig into the lived reality. Are tariffs really impacting consumers’ daily choices? Is the “Made in America” label still influential or is it being overridden by the need to save money?

What We Set Out to Understand

In one of our latest projects, From Cart to Cost: The Shopper’s Guide to Tariff Impact, we set out to examine how rising costs, widely attributed to tariffs, are influencing shopping behaviours and sentiment in four different states U.S. states: New York, California, Texas and North Dakota.

We wanted to uncover how people balance patriotism and practicality. Do they still prioritise American-made products when prices rise? How do financial constraints shape brand loyalty, trust and perceptions of value?

This wasn’t just about what people buy. It was about what they’re being forced to give up and how that feels.

How We Did It: Qual at Scale with BoltChatAI

We used BoltChatAI, our AI-moderated qualitative research at scale platform, to conduct one-on-one interviews with participants aged 18–45 across the four states. Using dynamic discussion guides, multimedia input and smart probing, we gathered rich narratives that reflected both rational decision-making and emotional undercurrent.

BoltChatAI’s Meta-Analysis tool helped us surface themes and connections across regions, while Dynamic Personas let us build layered, strategic consumer profiles that reflected evolving behaviours, not just static segments.

“Buy American” is a Moral Ideal…But Price is the Decider

Across all four states, consumers shared a patriotic inclination to buy domestic…but admitted they often couldn’t afford to follow through.

“I would agree if the price is not too outrageous then I would buy the U.S made product. But price is important and can't be overlooked.” – Texas participant

“Everything is cheaper from China and even though I would love to buy everything American, Chinese products are cheaper and have a bigger variety that I can afford.” – New York participant

For many, especially those supporting families or managing tight budgets, the decision to buy American has become a luxury, an ideal more than a practice.

Consumers Are Making Painful Trade-Offs

These price pressures aren’t just theoretical. They're showing up in urgent, often heartbreaking ways.

“I had to make a decision last week to buy food for my household or pay for my child medication that she needed. I chose the medication because my child really needed that medicine.” – North Dakota participant

“It has impacted my family's skin because I'm starting to notice the eczema is starting to get bad again... because Dove has gotten so pricier. Now we're using Ivory and I notice a change in our skin.” – New York participant

These aren’t just trade-offs in brand or quality, they’re trade-offs in health and well-being.