Many are losing sleep over finances
/A quarter of all Australians are extremely concerned about their personal finances, and women are still worse off than men, research shows.
Toluna’s Understanding the 2021 Consumer Global Barometer Survey is a regularly conducted survey providing the data for the index that examines over 30 million members. The latest research asked over 1,000 Australians their thoughts in February and March of 2021.
Key findings of the study:
Twenty-seven per cent are extremely concerned about their personal finances, with 43 per cent saying they are less well-off as a direct result of the pandemic
Women are more concerned than men, but only just - 28 per cent of women are extremely concerned compared with 25 per cent of men
Forty-five per cent of women are less well-off since the pandemic, with 41 per cent of men feeling the pinch
Over 65 per cent are feeling optimistic about the future
Just 30 per cent say they feel secure in their employment, however, this differs significantly by age and gender:
29 per cent of 18-24-year-olds feel insecure
45 per cent of 25-34-year-olds
39 per cent of 35-44-year-olds
30 per cent of 45-54-year-olds
27 per cent of 55-64-year-olds
Just 24 per cent of women feel secure in their employment, compared to 37 per cent of menAustralians are now much more conscious of how much they are spending, with 40 per cent being more considerate on spending, 44 planning to save more for a rainy day, 39 per cent wanting to be better at budgeting, 27 per cent wanting to pay off debts, 19 per cent want to keep more money in easy-access accounts, and 18 per cent plan to invest more
Priorities have shifted for many, with plans to cut back on various areas of spending while increasing it in other areas
