65% of Americans Say the News Makes Them Nervous About Money — Here’s How To Stay Calm
Written by
Laura Bogart
Edited by
Kristen Mae
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Tuning into the news these days can feel like watching a horror flick, especially when it comes to the financial report. Many Americans across backgrounds are feeling increasingly anxious about their financial futures, and the barrage of bad headlines is not helping.
To get a clearer sense of how Americans are feeling about their money, GOBankingRates and New York Life teamed up to survey 1,009 adults ages 18 and up. Respondents represented a cross-section of ages, genders and economic backgrounds. Some were just starting their financial journeys, while others held more sophisticated financial products such as annuities and life insurance.
The team found that a majority of respondents — roughly 65% — said that, to some degree, news stories made them anxious about money. There are some other interesting commonalities, and some striking differences, in how people perceived their financial position. Fortunately, there are also some steps they can take to feel more secure about the future.
Millennials Are Experiencing Real Financial Anxiety — and Gen Z Is Not Far Behind
Among the age demographics surveyed, people ages 35 to 44 were the most alarmed by what they were seeing in the news, followed closely by their cohorts in the age 45 to 54 set.
When asked to rank their responses to the statement “Stories in the media sometimes make me feel anxious about my financial future” on a scale of 1 to 10 — with 1 meaning “does not reflect my views at all” and 10 meaning “describes me perfectly” — more than 22% of people ages 35 to 44 gave a perfect (or, not so perfect) 10. About 17.37% of respondents ages 45 to 54 felt that strongly as well. Comparatively, only 8.33% of respondents aged 55 to 64 ranked their news-related anxiety at a 10.
While Gen Z appeared somewhat more optimistic than their older peers, they still had clear economic concerns. In the 18 to 24 age group, 24.14% answered this question with a 7, a score that still reflects high anxiety. In the 25 to 34 group, 15.68% answered with an 8, while 14.05% gave it a 9 or 10.
There’s a Gender Gap in Economic Perceptions
Just as different generations are digesting the financial forecasts with varying degrees of fear, there’s also a divide in how women and men are processing news headlines. A significant 16.90% of women answered the anxiety statement with a 10, compared with 13.20% of men.
This is not to suggest men take in stories about the economy with nonchalance. In fact, 15.60% of male respondents answered with an 8, signaling real and measurable concern.
By and large, though, women appear to feel more economically precarious than men. The statement “I can’t really take risks in my life because I don’t have a safety net if things go wrong” resonated strongly with 15.32% of women, who said it described them perfectly. That’s a notable contrast to the 11.60% of men who gave the same statement a 10. Still, economic anxiety affects both genders: 15.60% of men selected an 8 on that statement, so there’s plenty of economic anxiety to go around.
Addressing Anxiety Through Action
It’s tempting to tell anxious Americans simply to turn off the news. But that’s not really going to improve their financial situation. The best way to alleviate those financial fears is by taking proactive steps to build lasting security.
About 32% of survey respondents indicated that they didn’t have a financial plan in place, and 30.33% said they’d never worked with a financial professional. Clearly, making a call to a qualified financial advisor could be a strong first step.
There were also some bright spots in the survey. For instance, 65.41% of respondents said they currently have life insurance. But it’s important to note that not all life insurance is created equal, and some policies are more effective than others when it comes to achieving broader financial goals — like buying a home or building generational wealth.
Often, the coverage offered through work isn’t enough, and it usually doesn’t include the flexibility or cash value of other types of policies. Given that only 22.60% of respondents said they had worked with an insurance agent, finding a trusted expert in this space could be another powerful financial move.
Bottom Line
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the air these days, and the headlines reflect it. Many people across age and gender lines are feeling anxious about money, but the best way to overcome that anxiety and regain control is to identify the professionals and financial tools that can help you move forward with confidence.
GOBankingRates and New York Life Insurance surveyed 1,009 Americans aged 18 and older from across the country between March 19 and March 125, 2025, asking twenty-one different questions: (1) What is your current employment status?; (2) Which of the following category or categories best describes your race or ethnicity? (If more than one category applies, please select all that apply); (3) What are the source(s) of income for your household? (Please select all that apply); (4) Please choose the approximate level of investible assets for your household; (5) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “I often take the opportunity to discuss my knowledge of financial products or services with others”; (6) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “I regularly read financial news or financial publications”; (7) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “Thinking about my future sometimes keeps me up at night”; (8) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “I have enough money to live the way I would like to”; (9) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “I believe that The American dream is within reach for people like me”; (10) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “Stories in the media sometimes make me nervous about my financial future”; (11) Using the scale below, how do you feel about the following statement: “I can’t really take risks in my life because I don’t have a safety net if things go wrong”; (12) Thinking about the nation’s economy, how would you rate economic conditions today?; (13) A year from now, do you think that during the next twelve months we’ll have good times financially, or bad times, or what?; (14) Compared to 6 months ago, how has your level of uncertainty changed regarding the following societal and economic issues?; (15) Do you own any of the following products? (Please select all that apply); (16) Do you currently have a financial plan?; (17) On a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 means not at all confident and 10 means completely confident, how confident are you that you will meet your financial goals?; (18) What kind of financial professional have you worked with? (Please select all that apply); (19) Using the slider below, please indicate which statement best describes you.; (20) Using the slider below, please indicate which statement best describes you.; and (21) Using the slider below, please indicate which statement best describes you. In order to take the survey the respondents had to pass two screener questions (S1)
Who is the primary financial decision-maker in your household? witht the answer being they were at least involved in the households financial decision making and (S2) Which range best describes your total annual household income before taxes? with an answer above $50K. GOBankingRates used PureSpectrum’s survey platform to conduct the poll.
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