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Financial situation

29 Oct 2019

Q. Which of the following statements best describes your financial situation?

Total Gender Age   Results at Sep’17
Male Female 18-34 35-54 55+  
I am financially comfortable 38% 41% 35% 42% 32% 41% 33%
I can manage household bills but struggle to afford anything extra 39% 39% 40% 37% 39% 41% 43%
I feel under financial pressure 22% 19% 25% 19% 29% 17% 20%
Don’t know 1% 1% 1% 2% 0% 0% 4%
Base (n) 1,033 516 517 298 366 369 1,011
  •  Participant’s financial situations have improved since Sep’17 with 38% now saying they are financially comfortable (up 5pt) and 39% (down 4pt) saying they can manage household bills but struggle to afford anything extra.
  • Still 22% (up 2pt from Sep’17) feel under financial pressure.
  • Those aged 35-54 (29%), low income earners (37%) and single people (33%) are more likely to feel under financial pressure, than those aged 18-34 (19%) or 55+ (17%), earning higher incomes (13%) or married/in a de facto relationship (14%).
  • Capital city residents (41%), those with a university education (49%) and high-income earners (58%) are more likely to feel financially comfortable than non-capital residents (32%), those with a lower level of education (31%) and lower income earners (31%).
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