One-Third of U.S. Adults Say Financial Situation Worsened in Past Year, Survey Finds
Older generations and lower-income households report the steepest declines, while half of Americans feel relatively satisfied with their savings.
A new survey conducted by Yahoo Finance and the Marist Institute reveals that about one-third of adults in the United States feel their financial situation has worsened over the past year. Meanwhile, 40% reported no change, and 27% said their finances had improved.
The survey indicates that older generations are more likely to describe their finances as deteriorating. Approximately 40% of Generation X and 35% of Baby Boomers reported worsened financial conditions, compared to 29% of Millennials and Generation Z.
Households earning less than $50,000 annually were more likely to see declines, with 47% reporting worsening finances. Men were generally more optimistic than women, with 36% saying their finances had improved compared to just 18% of women.
Americans Split on Cost of Living and Savings Satisfaction
Regarding the cost of living, 45% of Americans viewed their area as either “relatively unaffordable” (36%) or “completely unaffordable” (9%), while 55% considered their region affordable to varying degrees, including 11% who said “very affordable” and 44% “affordable.” A gender gap was evident: 60% of men versus 50% of women felt their cost of living was acceptable.
The survey also found that at least half of Americans feel relatively satisfied with their savings. However, 31% reported being completely or mostly dissatisfied, and 18% were somewhat dissatisfied. The survey polled 2,575 adults between June 13 and 17, with a margin of error of ±2.1 percentage points.
