SURVEY: 1 in 5 Americans Cite "Never Being Able to Retire" As Their Biggest Money Fear

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Jul 26, 2017, 07:15 ET

LOS ANGELES, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's safe to say many Americans worry about money. In fact, GOBankingRates found in its 2015 Life + Money survey that one in four Americans thinks about money daily. That survey also found that respondents' biggest financial fear was always living paycheck to paycheck.

But Americans have a bigger money fear in 2017.

In our new survey on financial fears, we asked more than 2,500 Americans: "What is your biggest money fear?" Respondents could choose from the following answer choices:

Never being able to retire
Always living paycheck to paycheck
Living in debt forever
Losing my job
Losing all of my money in the stock market
Never being able to afford a home
Always having a low credit score

Keep reading to discover the biggest financial fear in the U.S.

Americans' Biggest Money Fears: Overall Results

Based on respondents' answers, GOBankingRates found that the biggest financial fear among Americans is "never being able to retire," followed by "always living paycheck to paycheck" and "living in debt forever." Here are the highlights from the survey:

22% of Americans chose "never being able to retire" as their biggest money fear.
20% are most afraid of always living paycheck to paycheck.
18% are most afraid of living in debt forever.
16% are most afraid of losing their jobs.
11% are most afraid of losing all their money in the stock market.
8% are most afraid of never being able to afford a home.
4% are most afraid of always having a low credit score.

For deeper insights into Americans' biggest financial fear broken down by gender, age and regions within the U.S., take a look at the following tables below.

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Americans' Biggest Money Fears: Gender Insights

Our survey found that men and women have different financial fears. The top three financial fears among both genders are:

Men's Biggest Financial Fears	Women's Financial Fears
1. Never being able to retire	1. Always living paycheck to paycheck
2. Always living paycheck to paycheck/living in debt forever/losing my job	2. Never being able to retire
3. Losing all of my money in the stock market	3. Living in debt forever

Here's a complete breakdown on both genders' responses to the question, "What is your biggest money fear?"

Answers	Males	Females
Never being able to retire	23%	20%
Always living paycheck to paycheck	17%	25%
Living in debt forever	17%	18%
Losing my job	17%	15%
Losing all of my money in the stock market	14%	9%
Never being able to afford a home	7%	8%
Always having a low credit score	5%	5%

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Americans' Biggest Money Fears: Age Insights

The 2017 Money Fears survey also revealed the biggest financial fears among different age groups, including:

Ages 18-24 (younger millennials)
Ages 25-34 (older millennials)
Ages 35-44 (younger Gen Xers)
Ages 45-54 (older Gen Xers)
Ages 55-64 (baby boomers)
Ages 65+ (seniors)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the survey discovered that the biggest money fears vary by age — and some don't. For example, older millennials, older Gen Xers and baby boomers all share their No. 1 financial fear: never being able to retire. Meanwhile, younger millennials and younger Gen Xers fear always living paycheck to paycheck the most.

In addition to never being able to retire, older millennials equally fear living in debt forever. Seniors are the only only age group that chose "losing all of my money in the stock market" as their biggest money fear.

For a complete breakdown on how each age group responded to the survey, see the the table below.

Answers	18-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+
Never being able to retire	16%	20%	21%	25%	27%	20%
Always living paycheck to paycheck	25%	19%	24%	17%	18%	21%
Living in debt forever	22%	20%	18%	16%	13%	17%
Losing my job	15%	18%	18%	18%	14%	8%
Losing all of my money in the stock market	5%	8%	6%	13%	17%	26%
Never being able to afford a home	13%	9%	8%	6%	6%	4%
Always having a low credit score	4%	5%	6%	4%	4%	4%

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Americans' Biggest Money Fears: Regional Insights

You might assume Americans' financial fears would vary across the country, but that isn't necessarily the case. In fact, all four regions in the U.S. have the same top three money fears: never being able to retire, always living paycheck to paycheck and living in debt forever.

However, it's worth noting that the No. 1 financial fear among residents in the Northeast differs from the biggest fears in the West, Midwest and South. Living in debt forever is the biggest money fear in the Northeast, while never being able to retire is the biggest financial fear in the rest of the country. Here's a look at the biggest money fears by region:

Answers	West	Midwest	South	Northeast
Never being able to retire	21%	21%	23%	20%
Always living paycheck to paycheck	19%	21%	23%	17%
Living in debt forever	16%	18%	17%	22%
Losing my job	15%	17%	15%	14%
Losing all of my money in the stock market	13%	10%	11%	14%
Never being able to afford a home	9%	8%	7%	8%
Always having a low credit score	6%	5%	4%	4%

Up Next: 10 Fears That Are Keeping Your From Being Rich

About GOBankingRates

GOBankingRates.com is a personal finance news and features website dedicated to helping visitors live a richer life. From tips on saving money, to investing for retirement or finding a good interest rate, GOBankingRates helps turn financial goals into milestones and money dreams into realities. Its content is regularly featured on top-tier media outlets, including MSN, MONEY, AOL Finance, CBS MoneyWatch, Business Insider and dozens of others. GOBankingRates specializes in connecting consumers with the financial institutions and products that best match their needs. Start your journey toward a rich mind and full wallet with us here.

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SOURCE GOBankingRates