No Shocker Here: Survey Shows Millennials Less Financially Independent Than In Years Past
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It may not be a surprise, but it is troubling: Americans in their 20s are less financially independent than they were two years ago.
According to a survey done by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., only 17 percent of those between the ages of 20-29 with at least some college education identified as "totally independent" financially – down from 23 percent in 2011.
Furthermore, 58 percent of respondents said they're behind where they expected to be in terms of financial success, up 26 percent from 2011. The majority of those who expressed that sentiment were in their late twenties, and 64 percent were females.
And while 78 percent said paying their own bills was one of three key factors on the path to financial independence, only six in 10 had achieved that milestone.
"Many of my peers suffer from a failure-to-launch syndrome directly related to the surge in unemployment during the Great Recession and slow pace of recovery," said Mekael Teshome, economist at The PNC Financial Services Group, in a release. "It is not a lack of ambition we are seeing in these data. It is more about a lack of opportunity that has hindered many young adults' progress against their professional and financial objectives."
Still, there is some good news: Financial optimism remains high. Of those who did not label themselves "totally independent," 60 percent were determined to become so in the near future.
For more information on the survey, visit: https://www.pnc.com/webapp/unsec/ProductsAndService.do?siteArea=/pnccorp/PNC/Home/About+PNC/Media+Room/Press+Kits/PNC+Financial+Independence+Survey
