74-Percent Of Mass. Residents Now Optimistic About Finances, Survey Says
BOSTON (CBS) – A new study suggests people in Massachusetts are becoming more optimistic about their finances as vaccinations grow during the pandemic.
Springfield-based life insurance company MassMutual surveyed 500 residents from February 19 to March 1.
They found 74-percent are "very or somewhat optimistic about their current financial outlook." That's higher than the national average of 69-percent, according to the survey.
When asked if this "is the worst economic downturn I've ever seen," 76-percent of women in Massachusetts said it was, compared to 64-percent of men.
Researchers found women in Massachusetts are less likely to be "very optimistic" about their financial outlook than men. Twenty-four percent of men said they were while only 14-percent of women agreed.
Women were also more likely by a wide margin – 48-percent to 29-percent - to have eliminated spending on non-essential items.
The study also found more than half of Massachusetts residents claimed their use of social media has gone up since the start of the pandemic.
You can read the entire survey results here.