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Nearly two-thirds (60%) of people in a new 26 nation poll commissioned by the BBC World Service say they are feeling the burden of recent rises in the cost of food and energy.
They say that the rising cost of food, fuel and electricity has affected them and their family "a great deal".
The survey found that many people, especially in the developing world are cutting back on what they eat because food is more expensive.
The BBC is publishing the survey results as part of a special day of coverage on the United Nations' World Food Day.
Listen People discuss food prices where they are
Our correspondents around the world have been tracking food prices for the last six months, and have filed updates and case studies to this site (explore Prices city by city on the right).
Listen Reporters in Argentina, India and Belgium
'Action needed'
In four developing countries, the Philippines, Kenya, Panama and Nigeria, a majority of respondents to the survey said that they have eaten less because of rising prices. And in five countries most said they had changed their diet.
The rich nations have also been affected, but less acutely. In the United States, Britain and several others, more than 20% had cut back on food, and well over a third had changed what they eat.
Most people are not satisfied with what their governments have done to contain the problem. There were very high levels of dissatisfaction in both developed and developing countries.
The figure was more than 80% in Egypt, the Philippines and Lebanon, and more than 70% in France and Italy.
The UN's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called for resolute action to tackle poverty and hunger, a problem which has been aggravated by this year's rise in food prices.
The survey questioned a total of more than 27,000 people in 26 countries. It was conducted by the international polling firm GlobeScan, together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. The field work was done between July and September.
Listen Economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn explain the situation
Falling commodity prices
The BBC World Service has an index of food prices, based on weekly price checks in shops in eight cities around the world. The average is now 5% than when the index was started in July.
But there have also been some more recent signs that food prices could decline. The most recent figures for the BBC index showed a slight fall in the last week.
There are also signals in international commodity markets which suggest consumer prices for energy and food could well decline. Crude oil has fallen by almost half from its highs earlier in the year.
Many food commodities are also sharply lower. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has an index of wholesale food prices, which has fallen 15% from its peak. But it not cheap by any standards. The FAO index is still double the level it was at the start of the decade.
So there are reasons to suppose that the food crisis may have eased somewhat.
But for many people it is still the case that food is painfully, even dangerously expensive.
