One Fourth of Americans Consider Themselves Poor, New CashNetUSA.com Survey Finds

Recession Depression Hitting the Young and People Based in North Central Region the Hardest

CHICAGO (September 5, 2012) – The continuing economic slump is having a toll on Americans’ psyche with many feeling flat broke.  One in four considers themselves poor according to a new survey by online lender CashNetUSA.com.  Sixty-nine percent believe they are not poor and six percent are still trying to decide or not willing to admit it.  The findings demonstrate the continued pressure for Americans to live paycheck to paycheck and how they are managing what little financial resources they have.

Individuals living in the North Central Region of the United States feel more impacted with thirty-two percent considering themselves poor, followed by the South (25 percent), West (23 percent) and just twenty percent of those in the Northeast part of the country.

Recession depression is most evident among younger Americans.  Almost one third (32 percent) of those survey participants under age 30 consider themselves poor contrasted with just 14 percent of those ages 50 to 59.

Despite being down in the dumps over their financial slump, most Americans seem to have good knowledge of their available funds and monthly expenses.   Almost half (47 percent) know the exact amount in their checking or savings account right now, 48 percent have a rough idea and only 5 percent have no idea.  The percentages were almost identical among men and women.

When asked if they know the total amount of money they spend on bills each month, 36 percent of Americans say they know the “exact amount” and 58 percent have a “rough idea.” And only 6 percent of individuals have “no idea.”  Men and women were almost identical in their answers. 

A higher percentage of Americans (48 percent) say they loosely follow a monthly budget while 25 percent of the individuals surveyed strictly adhere to it. One quarter (27 percent) have no budget at all.  The presence of children in the home, the geographic area of the country they live in and even age have little impact on individuals following a budget.  Only income level, where 36 percent of those individuals making under $30,000 annually strictly follow a budget versus just 18 percent of those making $75,000 plus annually.

“Americans are living in economic pain which is impacting their credit scores and ability to access credit to manage their expenses,” says Keith Weinberger, director of marketing and new initiatives of CashNetUSA.com, the country’s leading online licensed lender of cash advances to manage financial emergencies.  “The survey found that those in financial trouble have a good handle on their monthly balances and know when they need help.”

For a videotaped interview with Keith Weinberger commenting on the CashNetUSA.com survey, please go to: http://bcove.me/adeywkp0.  

About the Survey
This CashNetUSA.com survey was conducted online in February 2012 by TNS among a national random sample of 1,000 Americans. The margin of error for the national sample is approximately 3%. Surveys are subject to other error sources as well, including sampling coverage error, recording error, and respondent error.

Contact: Mike Gilhooly
Office: (312) 568-4230
Email: mgilhooly@enova.com

CashNetUSA.com is America’s leading and licensed online lender of cash advances and the top choice among consumers needing access to credit to manage financial emergencies.  A trusted online provider of credit alternatives for hard-working people, CashNetUSA.com believes everyone deserves access to simple and trustworthy financial services and is working to close the credit gap for underserved customers. 

Additional information may be found at www.cashnetusa.com | Twitter: @cashnetusa | YouTube: www.youtube.com/cashnetusa | Blog: http://www.cashnetusa.com/credit-resource-center/cashnetusa-reports/ | Facebook: www.facebook.com/cashnetusa. 

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