An Extra Paycheck in Your Stocking? Only 5 Percent of Americans Would Spend It On Themselves

CHICAGO, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- If you were to find an extra paycheck in your stocking this holiday season, what would you most likely spend it on?  With half of Americans living paycheck to paycheck in today's economy, a new survey by Harris Interactive on behalf of online lender CashNetUSA finds most would use it to pay bills/loans (28 percent) or save it (23 percent).  One in four (26 percent) would buy more holiday gifts for family members.  The online survey was conducted in October 2013 among 2,014 Americans ages 18+.

The survey asked Americans what they would do if they were to receive an extra paycheck this holiday season:

• 28 percent would pay bills or loans
• 26 percent would buy gifts for family members
• 23 percent would save it
• 7 percent would spend it on everyday expenses
• 6 percent would do something else with the new found cash

According to the survey, only five percent of Americans would spend the extra paycheck they received this holiday season on themselves, with men (at seven percent) twice as likely as women (at three percent) to spend it on themselves.

"The survey suggests that Americans are still experiencing a volatile economy and would use the new found cash to stabilize their situation rather than spending it frivolously," says Megan Staton, director of marketing for online lender CashNetUSA.  "Amidst the challenging economic environment, it's encouraging to know that Americans would carefully prioritize when choosing how to spend unexpected cash."

About the Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of CashNetUSA from October 17-21, 2013 among 2,014 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, visit the CashNetUSA Newsroom.

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

For a videotaped interview with Megan Staton commenting on the CashNetUSA.com survey, please go to: http://bit.ly/1brLnaL.

About CashNetUSA.com

CashNetUSA.com is one of America's leading, licensed online lenders and a 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.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for The Harris Poll®, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research across a wide range of industries. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing a client's research investment. Serving clients worldwide through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help our clients stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE CashNetUSA