Feb 23, 2012
--- Seventy-three percent of Americans ages 18 to 34 do
not currently invest in retirement accounts such as a 401(k) or IRA. ---
According
to a recent CouponCabin survey, nearly four in 10 (39%) U.S. adults ages 18 and
over report they don't currently have any types of financial investments, like
401(k)s or IRA retirement accounts, mutual funds or stocks. In addition, 61% of
U.S. adults said they have reservations about investing in the stock market.
Their concerns include not having enough money to invest (32%), not trusting
the stock market (26%), thinking it's too complicated (17%) and being unsure of
how to get started (11%). Those ages 18 to 34 were more likely to say they don't
have any financial investments at all (55%).
Even
though many U.S. adults report they don't have financial investments, they are
still keeping an eye on the market. Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults said they
follow the stock market in some capacity, with one quarter (25%) reporting they
track its ups and downs at least once a week. When it comes to young adults,
there was a significant difference between men and women. Fifty-nine percent of
men ages 18 to 34 said they follow the stock market, compared to 30% of women
ages 18 to 34.
While
some Americans report they are intimidated by the complexity of the market,
others said if the economy were more stable, they would be more likely to
invest. Thirty-nine percent said they were much or somewhat more likely to
invest money in the market if the economy were more stable; 46% said they
weren't any more or less likely to invest if the economy were more stable; and
15% said they were much/somewhat less likely to invest.
Regardless
of apprehensions in investing in the stock market, many U.S. adults said they
would be open to learning more about the process. Forty-three percent would be
at least somewhat likely to consider taking a course or class to learn more
about the stock market and investments.
The
survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf
of CouponCabin from February 7 to 9, 2012, among 2,339 U.S. adults ages 18
and older.
Tara Cantore