Economic anxiety

Survey: Almost Half of Americans Feel They are Making Financial Progress, but Anxiety Remains

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Despite seeing the largest economic decline since WWII in 2020, almost half of Americans (46%) believe they are making financial progress.

Key Points: 
  • Despite seeing the largest economic decline since WWII in 2020, almost half of Americans (46%) believe they are making financial progress.
  • Even with this feeling of anxiety, there is hope 77% of Americans are optimistic about their personal finances as they look at 2021.
  • Whether Americans feel they are making progress or not, the COVID-19 pandemic remains a key source of financial anxiety overall, with 57% of those surveyed saying that the pandemic causes them at least some anxiety.
  • Launched in February 2021, the BMO Real Financial Progress Index is an indicator of how consumers feel about their personal finances and whether they are making financial progress.

UMass Boston Study Finds Black, Latino and Asian Older Adults Much More Likely to Struggle in Later Life

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Half of all older adults living alone and 23% of older couples live with some degree of economic insecurity, according to the McCormack Graduate School's Gerontology Institute.

Key Points: 
  • Half of all older adults living alone and 23% of older couples live with some degree of economic insecurity, according to the McCormack Graduate School's Gerontology Institute.
  • A new report calculating racial disparities within those numbers shows rates of economic insecurity among Black, Latino, and Asian older adults far exceeding those of white adults and the overall national average.
  • The report also details the economic insecurity levels of older adults of color in individual states and the states in which racial disparities are greatest.
  • "Economic security is a serious problem for older adults across the United States," said professor Jan Mutchler, lead author of the report.