Majority of American Workers Don't Feel Personal Responsibility to Help U.S. Economic Recovery

CHICAGO, Nov. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The majority of American workers (57 percent) do not believe that they have any personal responsibility in helping the U.S. economic recovery through their spending habits, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of online lender CashNetUSA.  The online survey was conducted in October 2013 among 2,014 Americans ages 18+ of whom 1,833 are working and received a paycheck.

Those Americans with a household size of five or more feel most responsible for helping the economic recovery at 53 percent along with men ages 18 to 34 at 50 percent.

The reported softening of the economy in the past three months and decline in consumer confidence have caused many Americans to change their personal spending habits since August.  The survey found:

• 44 percent spent less on food/eating out
• 38 percent held off on purchasing clothing
• 38 percent deferred purchasing technology products
• 35 percent reduced spending on summer vacations
• 32 percent held off on doing any home improvements
• 10 percent spent less on school supplies

Fifty-two percent of working women ages 35 to 44 report holding off on clothing purchases, while 48 percent of men ages 18 to 34 held off on technology purchases.

"As consumer confidence is rattled again it is taking a toll on Americans' spending habits," says Megan Staton, director of marketing for online lender CashNetUSA. "They are making these cutbacks to manage their personal finances through this uncertainty, with less interest in what their personal role might be in helping to fuel the economic recovery. That's no surprise when half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, and one in four says their paycheck has declined."

Spending cuts could also be related to stagnant or declining paychecks. When asked how their paycheck has changed from a year ago, 37 percent of Americans who receive a paycheck say it has stayed the same and one quarter (24 percent) say it has declined. Thirty-one percent say their paycheck has increased from one year ago.

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 (of whom 1,833 receive a paycheck). 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.  

About CashNetUSA

CashNetUSA.com is one of America's leading, licensed online lenders of cash advances and one of the top choices 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 service underserved customers.

Additional information may be found at www.cashnetusa.com | Twitter: @cashnetusa | Blog: www.cashnetusa.com/blog | Facebook: www.facebook.com/cashnetusa.

For a videotaped interview with Megan Staton commenting on the CashNetUSA.com survey, please go to: http://bcove.me/698itofj

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