Older Americans Less Satisfied With Financial Situation

Of all Americans surveyed for Statista Consumer Insights, 44 percent most recently viewed their personal economic situation positively or very positively – six percentage points more than the previous year. At the same time, the perception of one's personal economic situation varies significantly by age group. While respondents between 18 and 49 years of age are more optimistic in this regard, rating their financial situation positively 47-48 percent of the time, this figure drops to 34 percent for people aged 50 to 64. People above that age were not included in the survey.

While retirement is typically a time when people start to have less money at their disposal, financial demands can also fall with age. However, Americans are frequently among the many people around the world who do not have enough money saved up for their pension age days. As pension levels around the world are not keeping track with inflation and the outlook on old age changes, these supplemental retirement funds have become increasingly important. While people aged 50-64 years would typically earn the highest wages of their careers or at least not less than before (with some exceptions of course), the outlook on a meager retirement might already be enough to diminish financial satisfaction among this age group that is typically still working.

Compared to 2024, the economic sentiment of Americans has improved across the board. In all age groups, the share of those rating their finances positively rose between 3 and 8 percentage points and gains were especially high among those aged 30-49. However, positive outlooks still remained in the minority.