How Does Financial Security Impact Quality of Life?

Nearly two in five U.S. adults do not see themselves as financially secure, impacting how a large portion of the American population feels about government services and their personal state of mind.

Though there were wide levels of support for the federal government ensuring that everyone has health insurance and making education more accessible, financially insecure adults were still more likely to support government programs than the general population, by about ten-percentage points. Over half of the people who identified as financially insecure in this YouGov study were women. People in this group were also more likely to support guaranteeing at least a month of paid maternity leave than the general population.

Financial security goes beyond how individual’s feel about large institutions or policies, impacting people’s inner, emotional lives as well. Seven in ten adults who are financially insecure feel anxious about their life, creating a 20-percentage point gap between them and the general population. When it comes to general health, an equal share of Americans who identify as financially insecure say they do not look after their health as much as they should.