Nearly nine in 10 U.S. adults reported feeling some kind of financial stress at the start of 2026, with more than three in four saying they experienced a financial setback last year, according to a new survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education.
NEFE, in conjunction with the market research firm Verasight, polled U.S. adults on their overall financial well-being at the end of 2025 and their expectations for 2026. Among the findings:
- Eighty-eight percent felt some form of financial stress as they began the new year and 77% said they experienced a financial setback in 2025.
- The largest anticipated expenses in 2026, excluding mortgage and rent, are “paying down debt” (40%), “home-related expenses” (36%) and “transportation expenses” (32%).
- When asked about their confidence in handling an unexpected $2,000 expense, 36% are “certain they could,” 19% “probably could,” 13% “probably could not” and 26% are “certain they could not.”
- If faced with an unexpected expense, most respondents would use some combination of “credit cards” (35%), “emergency savings” (25%) or “cash” (24%), followed by “borrowing money from family or friends” (20%), “selling something they own” (18%) and “using a ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ offer to free up funds” (17%).
- Respondents were most likely to view the quality of their current financial life as “about what they expected” (41%), followed by “worse than they expected” (38%) and then “better than they expected” (16%).
- Respondents said the frequency they had a month-end surplus of money is “every month” (20%), “most months” (19%), “only some months” (22%), “rarely” (24%) and “never” (14%).
“While these findings are startling, there is growing momentum to address these challenges through youth financial education graduation requirements,” said Billy Hensley, president and CEO of NEFE. “Many of the issues highlighted in this poll are already among the core topics states are considering for their curricula. Financial topics and the choices surrounding them shouldn’t be a mystery. By normalizing conversations about money and strengthening young people’s confidence, we increase the likelihood that they can align their financial lives with their personal values and decisions.”
