Almost Half of Voters Must Spend All on Living Expenses

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• Almost half (48%) of voters say all their money goes to living expenses.
  • This is up 5 points from 2 weeks ago and up 3 points from a month ago.
  • Forty-six percent (46%) of registered voters say they can set aside money for savings, down 7 points from 2 weeks ago and down 3 points from a month ago.
  • This is near last April’s low of 43% who said they could set aside money.
• If a surprise expense of $1,000 came up, 49% of voters say they would need to cut back on their lifestyle.
  • This is up 6 points from 2 weeks ago and up 3 points from a month ago.
  • In late July, a high of 51% said they would have to cut back.
  • Meanwhile, 45% said they could make the surprise payment without cutting back, down 6 points from 2 weeks ago and down 4 points from a month ago.
• Less than half (45%) of voters say they paid off their credit cards in full over the past month, down 6 points from 2 weeks ago and a month ago.
  • Forty-three percent (43%) say they had to make partial payments, up 2 points from 2 weeks ago.
  • A large majority (72%) of postgraduates paid off their credit cards.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, February 17, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.