{"id":4926,"date":"2026-03-30T11:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:27:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T21:27:24","slug":"over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/","title":{"rendered":"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>Beyond Finance and Operation HOPE Survey Reveals Over Half Say Generation was&nbsp;Set Up for Failure as American Dream Feels Less Attainable, New Financial Rulebook Needed<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CHICAGO <\/strong>and <strong>ATLANTA\u2014 March 30, 2026 \u2014 <\/strong>Young Americans increasingly feel the financial system is stacked against them, pushing long-term goals further out of reach and forcing many into survival mode. A new survey of 2,000 Gen Z and Millennial adults, released today by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/\">Beyond Finance<\/a> in partnership with leading financial literacy non-profit <a href=\"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Operation HOPE<\/a>, reveals a widening gap between traditional financial guidance and the economic realities younger generations face, with 7 in 10 indicating wealth is out of reach as survival spending becomes the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As April\u2019s Financial Literacy Month spotlights the importance of financial education, the findings point to a broader challenge of whether the traditional path to financial success still works to achieve the \u201cAmerican Dream,\u201d and the potential need to write a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Key survey insights include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Financial Rules That No Longer Add Up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A growing share of Gen Z and Millennials feel the financial system is working against them, not for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:45% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4929 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/1-1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only 32% say the \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d feels very realistic today<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>57% feel their generation was set up for financial failure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>71% say wealth-building opportunities are becoming less achievable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>68% believe their generation has been financially set back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>65% say financial literacy places too much responsibility on individuals and overlooks the bigger economic picture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>75% say financial knowledge alone won\u2019t make homeownership attainable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these hurdles, traditional markers of success, especially homeownership, remain key aspirations, underscoring the growing gap between expectations and reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>From Wealth-Building to Survival Mode<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rising economic pressures are shifting financial behavior from long-term planning to daily decision-making focused on immediate needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>71% say a side hustle or additional income is required to keep up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nearly 80% report using \u201csurvival spending\u201d tactics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>32% have used Buy Now, Pay Later for essentials like groceries and utilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nearly 1 in 3 describe themselves as \u201cbarely surviving\u201d financially<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>26% would prioritize covering basic living expenses given a financial windfall<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than 40% report challenges with saving, paying down debt, and maintaining financial confidence<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4930 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>These behaviors indicate a stronger focus on present stability, often at the cost of future planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Call for New Financial Rules and Real-World Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, many respondents question whether traditional financial advice and education are aligned with the realities they face today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/3-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4931 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/3-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/3-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/3-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only 28% feel fully prepared by their education to make financial decisions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>43% say older generations don\u2019t understand their financial challenges<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>68% say their generation talks more about getting rich than practicing good habits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>80% support mandatory financial literacy education<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This shift signals a broader change in financial identity, with success now defined by navigating an evolving and uncertain system rather than achieving traditional milestones.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these challenges, Gen Z and Millennials remain engaged, adapting their expectations and redefining financial success for today\u2019s environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re asking these younger generations to follow financial rules that no longer fully reflect today\u2019s reality,\u201d said John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE. \u201cBudgeting alone won\u2019t close the gap. This is a moment to reimagine financial education, to equip people not just to survive, but to thrive, build wealth, and claim their rightful place in today\u2019s economy.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMany people have lost trust in a system that was supposed to work for them, and with it, they\u2019ve lost trust in themselves and their sense of what\u2019s possible,\u201d added <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/author\/erasure\/\">Dr. Erika Rasure<\/a>, chief financial wellness advisor at Beyond Finance. \u201cThe reality is, financial conditions have changed faster than the rules. Redefining hope isn\u2019t about asking people to try harder. It\u2019s about helping them create values and financial habits that reflect their reality, and rebuilding confidence through consistent, sustainable progress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help, Dr. Rasure offers insights and suggestions from her Beyond Finance client coaching sessions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Consistency is Key: <\/strong>Focus on small, repeatable actions, like contributing to an emergency fund, that create evidence of progress over time. These consistent steps help rebuild trust in your ability to influence your financial life and move forward with confidence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stability Is Success<\/strong>: In today\u2019s environment, maintaining financial stability is a meaningful achievement. Paying bills, supporting your household, and keeping your life functioning are not minimums \u2014 they are wins. Recognizing stability as success helps shift the mindset from shame to progress and keeps people engaged.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Redefine the Dream:&nbsp; <\/strong>Traditional markers of success may no longer feel attainable, and that\u2019s not your failure. It\u2019s a signal to redefine success on your own terms. Focus on goals that are realistic and meaningful today, whether that\u2019s reducing debt, increasing flexibility, or building consistency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Clarity Before Action:<\/strong> Instead of asking, \u201cHow can I do more?\u201d start with \u201cWhere can I create breathing room?\u201d and \u201cWhat support can I access?\u201d Hope grows when people see multiple paths forward, not just one rigid path.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Self-Regulation Before Resolution:&nbsp; <\/strong>Financial stress can cloud decision-making. Before solving problems, take time to reset. Creating space for clarity helps shift decisions from reactive to intentional, and leads to better long-term outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To examine your money mindset further, take Operation HOPE\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/operationhope.org\/fin-lit-quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cHow Lit are You?\u201d<\/a> quiz and explore &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bf-assets.beyondfinance.com\/Beyond_Finance_Everyday_Finance_Guide.pdf\">a free tips guide&nbsp;<\/a>from Beyond Finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/almost-80-of-gen-z-and-millennials-use-survival-spending\/\">Access more insights from this survey<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This survey was commissioned by Beyond Finance in collaboration with Operation HOPE, and conducted by QuestionPro, a third-party research company, from March 16 &#8211; 18, 2026, with a collective sample of 2,000 Millennial (born 1981 to 1996) and Gen Z adults over 18 (born 1997-2008) Americans. Full research findings are available upon request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Beyond Finance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond Finance, LLC, is the nation\u2019s largest debt consolidation company. In its commitment to providing clients with a personalized approach to move beyond debt, Beyond Finance provides simple and transparent solutions that help consumers lower their eligible monthly payments, reduce the impact of interest, and reach a debt-free life sooner. Beyond Finance holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been awarded with multiple recognitions for its commitment to clients:&nbsp;Organization of the Year \u2013 The Business Intelligence Group\u2019s Excellence in Customer Service Award, Gold Stevie Award for Outstanding Customer Service Department, Banking Tech Award \u2013 Financial Wellness Champion, Best In Biz Gold Award for top Customer Service Team, and 3 ConsumerAffairs\u2019 \u201cBuyer\u2019s Choice Awards.\u201d Beyond Finance has offices in Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston. For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/\">BeyondFinance.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About&nbsp;Operation HOPE, Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 1992,&nbsp;Operation HOPE&nbsp;has been moving America from civil rights to \u201csilver rights\u201d with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved\u2014disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model,&nbsp;HOPE&nbsp;Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $4.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities\u2014turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Foperationhope.org%2F&amp;esheet=54441042&amp;newsitemid=20260309617874&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=OperationHOPE.org&amp;index=4&amp;md5=a685880656f36b2220a70b632c5f87e8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">OperationHOPE.org<\/a>. Follow the&nbsp;HOPE&nbsp;conversation on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FOperationHOPE&amp;esheet=54441042&amp;newsitemid=20260309617874&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Twitter&amp;index=5&amp;md5=e14f578e6a3c060986497c1f94d8d027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitter<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Foperationhope%2F&amp;esheet=54441042&amp;newsitemid=20260309617874&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Facebook&amp;index=6&amp;md5=a4550c799e409c50cebd8a0385f972c8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Foperationhopehq%2F&amp;esheet=54441042&amp;newsitemid=20260309617874&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=Instagram&amp;index=7&amp;md5=9dc8c1adf88b133009d81e8598a5141f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cts.businesswire.com\/ct\/CT?id=smartlink&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Foperation-hope%2F&amp;esheet=54441042&amp;newsitemid=20260309617874&amp;lan=en-US&amp;anchor=LinkedIn&amp;index=8&amp;md5=eae28a4bdcff395719f2ee6512325e52\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Young Americans increasingly feel the financial system is stacked against them, pushing long-term goals further out of reach and forcing many into survival mode.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":4927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-releases"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0 - Beyond Finance Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0 - Beyond Finance Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Young Americans increasingly feel the financial system is stacked against them, pushing long-term goals further out of reach and forcing many into survival mode.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beyond Finance Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-30T16:00:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T21:27:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"863\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stella Martin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stella Martin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stella Martin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b4bf778ec99cbe837817ad0f7d5de209\"},\"headline\":\"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-30T16:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-08T21:27:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\"},\"wordCount\":1217,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News Releases\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\",\"name\":\"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0 - Beyond Finance Newsroom\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-30T16:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-08T21:27:24+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":863},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/\",\"name\":\"Beyond Finance Newsroom\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Beyond Finance Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo-a5030ff7f0cc0e8b6e87107311dd1205.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo-a5030ff7f0cc0e8b6e87107311dd1205.png\",\"width\":105,\"height\":27,\"caption\":\"Beyond Finance Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b4bf778ec99cbe837817ad0f7d5de209\",\"name\":\"Stella Martin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1cbecc45201ef1341553bfea55814251b4483b34bf1faef347d61ca7d4b8c060?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1cbecc45201ef1341553bfea55814251b4483b34bf1faef347d61ca7d4b8c060?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stella Martin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/author\/smartin\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/author\/smartin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0 - Beyond Finance Newsroom","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0 - Beyond Finance Newsroom","og_description":"Young Americans increasingly feel the financial system is stacked against them, pushing long-term goals further out of reach and forcing many into survival mode.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/","og_site_name":"Beyond Finance Newsroom","article_published_time":"2026-03-30T16:00:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-08T21:27:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":863,"url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Stella Martin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stella Martin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/"},"author":{"name":"Stella Martin","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b4bf778ec99cbe837817ad0f7d5de209"},"headline":"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0","datePublished":"2026-03-30T16:00:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-08T21:27:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/"},"wordCount":1217,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg","articleSection":["News Releases"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/","name":"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0 - Beyond Finance Newsroom","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-30T16:00:20+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-08T21:27:24+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5.jpg","width":1536,"height":863},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/over-seventy-percent-of-gen-z-and-millennials-say-survival-spending-is-the-norm-and-wealth-is-out-of-reach\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Over Seventy Percent of Gen Z and Millennials Say Survival Spending Is the Norm and Wealth Is Out of Reach\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/","name":"Beyond Finance Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#organization","name":"Beyond Finance Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo-a5030ff7f0cc0e8b6e87107311dd1205.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/logo-a5030ff7f0cc0e8b6e87107311dd1205.png","width":105,"height":27,"caption":"Beyond Finance Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b4bf778ec99cbe837817ad0f7d5de209","name":"Stella Martin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1cbecc45201ef1341553bfea55814251b4483b34bf1faef347d61ca7d4b8c060?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1cbecc45201ef1341553bfea55814251b4483b34bf1faef347d61ca7d4b8c060?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stella Martin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/author\/smartin\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/author\/smartin\/"}]}},"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":15,"label":"News Releases"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/5-1024x575.jpg",1024,575,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Stella Martin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/blog\/author\/smartin\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Releases","slug":"news-releases","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Beyond Finance announcements about topics and ideas that could make headlines in media outlets","parent":0,"count":63,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":15,"category_count":63,"category_description":"Beyond Finance announcements about topics and ideas that could make headlines in media outlets","cat_name":"News Releases","category_nicename":"news-releases","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beyondfinance.com\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}