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IPFS News Link • Finance - Money Management

Living in the Red: Average American Has Over $54,000 Worth of Debt

• https://www.activistpost.com by Chris Melore

A new survey finds Americans would give up social media for a year (32%), spend a night on a remote island (31%), and even go a month without internet access (29%). According to the poll of 2,000 U.S. adults, the average person feels they could only stay debt-free for eight-and-a-half weeks (less than 3 months) before accruing new debt.

The research also measured people's confidence in their ability to remain out of debt, revealing only 38 percent feel "very confident" in this regard. The most uncertain respondents (384) shared some of the reasons, including the rising cost of living (54%), unexpected expenses (46%), rising interest rates (29%), not having enough support from others (20%), and feeling the need to spend to keep up with others (16%).

People's biggest debt hurdles include credit card debt (57%), mortgages (30%), automobile loans (30%), and medical debt (28%). Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Beyond Finance for National Financial Freedom Day, the survey also found the average person has $54,767 worth of debt, with 56 percent saying they owe more for necessities than for "nice-to-haves."


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