In research conducted by Lending Tree, Americans were asked about their food choices, and if you've been living outside the rose-colored windows of the White House and Wall Street, the results are not at all surprising.

Check out these polling results! People are feeling the pinch!

• The majority of Americans (62%) say they're eating fast food less due to rising prices.
• 78% of consumers view fast food as a luxury because it's become increasingly expensive.
• Nearly half (46%) say fast-food restaurants cost similarly to their local sit-down restaurants, while 22% say fast food is more expensive.
• When asked about their go-to for an easy, inexpensive meal, 56% cite making food at home.
• 44% of Americans say they've been asked to tip on this ever-more expensive fast food in the past six months, and 43% refused to add gratuity.

(Seriously. We've gone too crazy with the tipping.)

• Americans rank Chick-fil-A as the most high-end fast-food chain (25%), followed by Starbucks (22%) and Chipotle (21%).

I know I'll catch flak for this, but when fried chicken, even the Lord's chicken, is considered high-end eating, we're in real trouble, folks.

But the stock market's at all-time highs, so clearly everything's fine.

P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇