Half of Americans Unable to Stay within Budgets, Study Says

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Respondents with higher income least likely to say that they stay within monthly budget
RISMEDIA, Oct. 21?Half of Americans do not regularly stay within their monthly budgets, according to a recent Internet study by American Consumer Opinion(TM) (www.acop.com ). In its “2002 Personal Opinion and Lifestyle Study,” American Consumer Opinion(TM) asked 3,136 respondents whether they “almost always stay within their monthly budgets.” Slightly more than half of respondents (50.4%) said they are unable to stay within their budgets, and 49.6% said they are.

When looking at the information by income, the respondents reporting a lower household income were more likely to say that they stay within their monthly budgets. While, the respondents reporting a higher income were least likely to say that they stay within their monthly budgets. The statistics are shown below.

Almost Always Stays Within Monthly Budget By Income

Household Income Percent Saying ‘Yes’

Less than $35,000 56.7%

Between $35,000 and $74,000 48.1

Between $75,000 and $99,000 42.7

Over $100,000 41.1

Methodology

For its “2002 Personal Opinion and Lifestyle Study”, American Consumer Opinion(TM) drew on a balanced sample of 3,136 participants. The study’s margin of error is +/- 2% at a 95% confidence level. The survey was conducted from August 5th to August 12th, 2002.

Survey respondents were members of the American Consumer Opinion(TM) Online panel, one of the largest consumer panels in the world, which includes over 3.5 million consumers in over 150 countries.

For more information visit www.decisionanalyst.com or www.acop.com

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