A new in-depth survey suggests Coloradans have faith in a robust economic recovery, but in the meantime the high cost of living is exacting a cost on their mental health.

The nonprofit Colorado Health Foundation’s annual “Pulse” poll of 2.493 adults cites a lack of affordable housing and the high cost of child care as driving factors behind higher anxiety and depression cited by those polled.

As previous state and national polls have indicated, people of color are feeling the brunt.

The good news is Coloradans seemed less concerned about the overall economy this year compared to last year, when the pandemic was at its economic worst.

Pollsters said 44% of Coloradans considered jobs and the economy still to be a serious problems, whereas 63% cited those concerns last year.

In some bad news for Democrats who run the state and nation at least until next year’s election, 73% of those surveyed cited the cost of living an extremely or very serious problem. That’s up from 64% in 2020, when Republicans controlled the state Senate and the White House.

The concerns were even higher among people of color: 81% of Black respondents and 83% of Latino participants.

Read the full poll by clicking here.

“When we know more about what Coloradans are thinking, feeling and experiencing, we can better advocate for their health and well-being,” Karen McNeill-Miller, president and CEO of The Colorado Health Foundation, said in a statement. “Since the pandemic began, so many of us have had to face challenges we never expected, and Pulse shows us who has been hit hardest: women of color trying to balance child care and their countless other responsibilities, families living on low income struggling to keep a roof over their heads or food on their table, and workers facing anxiety and depression after job loss.

“These are the Coloradans we should be focused on supporting for the long term.”

The high price of housing was cited as a serious problem by 82%, including higher-income Coloradans across the state, which is a 15% increase over a year earlier.

About 1 in 5 Coloradans, the poll suggests, are worried about paying their mortgage or rent, but the number rises to 33% of Hispanic respondents.

About 24 of Coloradans on lower incomes told pollsters they have skipped meals to save money and 49% put off medical or dental care over concern about the bills. Almost a quarter of parents said they are unable to find affordable child care, including half who identified as lower-income and 31% of people of color.

The poll was conducted from July 27 to Aug. 16 by FM3 Research, a Democratic firm, and New Bridge Strategy, which typically works with Republicans, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7% and a confidence of 95%.

“It’s been a difficult year, and most Coloradans are feeling it. Still, few sought the help of a trained professional, raising questions about the availability of those services,” stated Dave Metz, the president of FM3 Research. “Given such widespread reports of mental health strain, it’s no surprise that Coloradans overwhelmingly support providing more state-funded mental health and substance use services.”