This survey was commissioned by the national nonprofit credit counseling agency, CESI Debt Solutions in January 2011. Respondents had no affiliation with CESI and were recruited online by a third party research company.

Do you keep/maintain a regular savings plan, putting money away in a savings account frequently?

Answer	Percentage
Yes	46.50%
No	41.35%
No answer	12.15%
Not completed or not displayed	0.00%

If yes, how much do you save?

Answer	Percentage
1% of paycheck	10.31%
5% of paycheck	11.29%
10% of paycheck	8.96%
More than 10% of paycheck	8.22%
No answer	7.73%
Not completed or not displayed	53.50%

What made you decide to start a regular savings plan?

Answer	Percentage
Parents taught me to save something every paycheck, and I’ve kept it up.	15.71%
I learned from experience (not my parents) to save money.	18.04%
Scared and/or affected by the recession, I thought it was a good idea.	4.91%
Saving for a specific reason: new car, remodeling, emergency, etc.	5.64%
No answer	2.21%
Not completed or not displayed	53.50%

When you save, what are you saving for? (Check as many as apply)

Answer	Percentage
Retirement	17.91%
A big purchase	10.67%
A rainy day/emergency fund	24.91%
College	3.56%
I save a little money for each of these every paycheck	10.06%
Comfort of knowing I have savings.	21.10%

How would you define your spending habits?

Answer	Percent
Thrifty, make do without something	20.25%
Careful spender: search for best deal, buy lowest cost item that will meet the need.	50.43%
Buy it now on credit, pay for it later.	5.64%
Only buy when I have saved enough to pay for it.	13.25%
Cost isn’t an option, get the best.	2.21%
No answer	8.22%
Not completed or not displayed	0.00%

How many credit cards do you currently have?

Answer	Percentage
1	26.26%
2	19.14%
3	11.66%
4 or more	15.09%
No answer	27.85%
Not completed or not displayed	0.00%

How much credit card debt do you currently owe?

Answer	Percentage
None	41.72%
$1-$499	11.04%
$500-$2,499	11.66%
$2,500-$4,999	7.73%
$5,000-$9,999	5.64%
$10,000-$14,999	4.42%
$15,000 or more	5.52%
No answer	12.27%
Not completed or not displayed	0.00%

How often do you currently use credit cards?

Answer	Percentage
Daily	6.13%
Several times per week	15.46%
A few times per month	27.61%
A few times per year	20.49
Never	21.60%
No answer	8.71%
Not completed or not displayed	0.00%

Do you set a regular budget and stick to it?

Answer	Percentage
Yes	50.55%
No	40.98%
No answer	8.47%
Not completed or not displayed	0.00%

How old are you?

Answer	Percentage
Under 18	0.37%
18-24	9.20%
25-34	15.71%
35-49	18.77%
50-65	31.90%
65+	18.77%
No answer	4.29%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%

What is your gender?

Answer	Percentage
Female	38.40%
Male	56.56%
No answer	4.05%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%

Did your parents live through the “Great Depression” in the United States?

Answer	Percentage
Yes	50.92%
No	39.51%
No answer	8.59%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%

Did your parent(s) say your family couldn’t afford something because of money issues?

Answer	Percentage
Frequently	29.33%
Sometimes	44.05%
Rarely	15.21%
Never	3.07%
No answer	7.36%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%

Which of the following is true of your childhood? Check all that apply.

Answer	Percentage
Money was tight, but we didn’t talk about it.	57.91%
Money was tight, and it was talked about a lot.	20.49%
Money was never an issue.	19.02%

Did your parents teach you about saving, investments, etc.

Answer	Percentage
My parent(s) were frugal.	20.86%
My parent(s) didn’t discuss money issues much.	35.21%
My parent(s) taught me how to save money.	28.71%
My parent(s) liked to spend money.	2.94%
My parent(s) let me spend money however I wanted.	0.74%
My parent(s) often bought me whatever I wanted growing up.	2.94%
No answer	7.61%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%

Did you have an allowance growing up?

Answer	Percentage
Yes	47.12%
No	46.63%
No answer	5.28%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%

Were you required to save part of that allowance?

Answer	Percentage
Yes	13.50%
No	32.15%
No answer	1.47%
Not completed or not displayed	52.88%

Do you agree with this statement about your childhood: When we wanted something, we got it.

Answer	Percentage
Yes	16.56%
No	75.46%
No answer	6.99%
Not completed or not displayed	0.98%