Economic Pressure Leads to Financial Trade-Offs
Among poll respondents, 58% said groceries were their top financial concern, compared with only 17% most concerned about retirement, according to KeyBank.
As economic uncertainty rises among U.S. adults, long-term financial planning is falling to the wayside. Retirement was a top financial concern for only 17% of respondents, according to KeyBank N.A.’s recent 2026 Financial Mobility Survey Pulse Poll, while 58% said grocery prices were their top concern. The second-most-cited concern was housing costs, at 44%.
Overall, 28% of respondents had a negative outlook on the U.S. economy, up slightly from 26% in 2025. Last year, only 55% cited groceries and 35% said housing was a top concern.
Financial trade-offs were reported by a majority of respondents, as one-third of respondents said they make daily strategic financial changes to compensate for increased prices on everyday items, and 31% said they make them weekly.
The most common changes included 59% switching to less expensive brands or services, up from 49% in 2025; 51% cutting fee-based subscriptions or memberships, up from 41% last year; and 11% reducing discretionary spending, up from 8% in 2025.
“Americans aren’t waiting for conditions to improve. They’re being proactive and resourceful in response to these pressures,” said Daniel Brown, KeyBank’s director of consumer product management, in a statement. “These aren’t just one-time reactions—88% of [surveyed] Americans have made at least one meaningful adjustment to their finances.”
Similarly, the Benefits 2.0 survey published by Economist Enterprise and supported by Nuveen, a TIAA company, found economic uncertainty led to workplace and life milestone trade-offs, such as compromising career mobility or delaying retirement due to financial stress.
“When workers feel financially insecure, they delay retirement, and that has real costs, both administrative and financial,” said Brendan McCarthy, Nuveen’s head of retirement investing, in a statement. “At a time when employees are craving stability and certainty, employers can stand out as an employer of choice by delivering a more modern approach to benefits that can help employees navigate key life milestones with more confidence.”
More than half of workers surveyed (62%) said they were choosing long-term job security over seeking new opportunities, even if the new opportunities provided higher pay or better benefits.
Additionally, 73% of surveyed workers said they had delayed a major purchase such as a home or car due to rising costs, and 25% said they had delayed having children due to financial pressures.
“This cautious approach reflects a broader trend: Workers are increasingly valuing predictability over advancement, which could have lasting implications for career growth and economic mobility,” said Matt Terry, a research manager at Economist Enterprise, in a statement.
Similarly, KeyBank found an uptick in side hustles, with 35% of respondents taking on additional work to generate supplemental income, up from 30% last year. The age group most likely to operate a side hustle was Generation Z (49%).
KeyBank’s survey was conducted online by Schmidt Market Research in January, polling 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 through 70.
Findings from Benefits 2.0 were based on research and analysis conducted by Economist Enterprise between November and December 2025. Economist Enterprise surveyed 2,063 full-time U.S. employees aged 18 through 62 from organizations with at least 1,000 workers.