More than any other generation, Millennials and Gen Xers are concerned with paying off debt, and student debt specifically leaves Millennials struggling to save for a down payment, according to U.S. Bancorp, the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association.
The findings come from the company's U.S. Bank Possibility Index, launched today, which measures where Americans are thriving and what is holding them back from realizing their personal satisfaction across work, home and play.
Kelton Global, a marketing consultancy, conducted the survey among 2,001 Americans over age 18.
The survey showed that 52% of Americans are concerned with finances in general and 49% are concerned specifically with paying off debt. That number increases substantially to 58% among Millennials and Gen Xers.
However, 76% of Millennials are optimistic about the future when looking ahead five years, the survey showed. This is despite 64% saying they are very concerned about current finances.
In fact, only 37% of Millennial currently feel confident in their ability to save for a home.
Out of non-homeowners paying their student debt on time, 71% said their debt is hindering them from purchasing a home, and more than 50% said they expect to be delayed more than five years, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors and SALT, a consumer literacy program provided by nonprofit American Student Assistance.
The survey results indicate that many potential homebuyers are still unaware of the multiple low-down payment products being offered by lenders in today's market. These include 3% down loans from Chase, Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Mortgage, BancorpSouth, and United Wholesale Mortgage, as well as 1% down loans offered by Quicken Loans and Guaranteed Rate.
Interestingly, income was not the key factor in determining overall satisfaction scores. The index, which includes overviews of low, mid and high-index performers, found that most of the respondents with the highest scores, with an average 82, did not fall into the highest salary bracket of $75,000 and above. In fact, nearly three in 10 respondents with low index scores, an average 47, reported higher incomes.
This demonstrates that it's not just the amount of money people are making, but how they are managing their income that has the greatest impact on achieving higher levels of satisfaction, according to the survey.
