Half of Americans said their financial situation has deteriorated over the past year, according to a Gallup poll published on Wednesday.

The poll found that 50 percent of respondents said they are financially worse off since this time last year, while 35 percent of those surveyed said their financial situation improved in the previous year.

According to Gallup's previous polls, this is the most distressed people have felt since 2009 when half or more Americans said they were financially worse off than the year before.

When split up by income, the poll found that 61 percent of respondents in the lower-income group said their financial situation has deteriorated over the past year. Meanwhile, 49 percent of respondents in the middle-income group and 43 percent of the upper-income group also said they are financially worse off than last year.

When asked about their expectations about their financial situations in the year ahead, 60 percent of respondents said they expect to be better off a year from now, while 28 percent of those surveyed predict that their situation will deteriorate in the coming year.

The results are based on a Gallup poll conducted from January 2 to 22. It was conducted because many Americans are pessimistic about national macroeconomic conditions in the coming months, even though high inflation is seemingly easing in the country.