49% Say All Money Goes to Living Expenses: Up 3 From 2 Weeks Ago

Publication Date: 03/22/2026 5:00 AM CST

49% Say All Money Goes to Living Expenses: Up 3 From 2 Weeks Ago

Publication: 03/22/2026 5:00 AM CST

Member Content

The content you are trying to access is currently only available to Gold Circle Members. If you are a member, please log in to view.

To learn more about becoming a Gold Circle Member, please refer to our membership page.

Full Toplines: RESTRICTED

Full Crosstabs URL: RESTRICTED

Toplines are free for use after embargo, if any. Crosstabs are confidential and not for public release. However, you may cite specific demographic data from these reports.
For any data released, please cite Napolitan News Service.

Public Content

A plurality (49%) of registered voters say all their money goes to living expenses.
- This is up 3 points from 2 weeks ago and up 1 point from a month ago.
- Forty-five percent (45%) of voters say they can set aside money for savings, down 3 points from 2 weeks ago and down 1 point from a month ago.
- More Elite or Elite Adjacent voters* (64%) than Main Street voters (38%) are able to regularly set aside money.
If a surprise expense of $1,000 came up, 49% of voters say they would need to cut back on their lifestyle.
- This is up 5 points from 2 weeks ago and the same as a month ago.
- In late July, a high of 51% said they would have to cut back.
- Meanwhile, 44% said they could make the surprise payment without cutting back, down 8 points from 2 weeks ago and down 1 point from a month ago.
About half (48%) of voters say they paid off their credit cards in full over the past month, down 2 points from 2 weeks ago and up 3 points from a month ago.
- A large majority (68%) of postgraduates say they paid off their credit cards.
- Forty-two percent (42%) of voters say they had to make partial payments, up 2 points from 2 weeks ago.

* Elite voters are defined as those with a postgraduate degree, make more than $150,000 annually, and live in a densely populated urban area. Elite Adjacent voters have at least one of these characteristics. Main Street voters have none of these characteristics, and make up the largest portion of voters.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, March 16-17, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.