Nearly Everyone in America is Stressed About Money, a New Poll Finds — I Found a Way Out
A new AP-NORC poll shows most Americans are stressed about money — from groceries to rent to electricity. I used to feel that way too, until I found a simpler way to live.
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When I first downsized into a campervan, it wasn’t because I’d mastered my finances. It was because I hadn’t. Rent was draining me, expenses kept rising, and it felt impossible to get ahead no matter how hard I worked.
Now, a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows I wasn’t alone — and still aren’t.
According to the survey, 59% of Americans say their family’s financial situation is “holding steady.” But that steadiness feels shaky: nearly 3 in 10 say they’re falling behind, and only about 1 in 10 feel they’re actually getting ahead.
Those numbers paint a sobering picture of life in 2025. The majority of Americans are surviving, not thriving. They’re juggling bills, watching prices rise, and hoping the ground doesn’t shift beneath them again.
There’s a Fragile Sense of Stability for Many Americans
The AP-NORC poll reveals just how fragile that “steady” feeling really is. Few people are confident they could handle basic financial emergencies. Only a small share say they’d be able to cover an unexpected medical bill, buy a new home, or save enough for retirement.
About half of adults say the cost of groceries is a major source of stress. Four in ten report being very stressed about housing, taxes, or the amount of money they have saved. And almost everyone — 97% of those surveyed — said they’re at least a little stressed about something financial.
When I read that, it reminded me of what life felt like before I chose the road. The constant tension between wanting security and realizing how fragile it really was. I had a decent job, but one rent increase or car repair could wipe out my savings. There was never a sense of ease. I’d been in debt for years with no real way to pay it off.
Younger Americans feel it most
The poll found that younger adults are especially vulnerable. More than a third of people under 30 say they’re falling behind financially — double the rate of those 60 and older.
It’s easy to see why. Wages haven’t kept up with costs, housing prices have soared, and traditional “markers of success” like homeownership or retirement savings are slipping further out of reach.
But in that gap, something else is emerging ….a quiet revolution in how people define security and happiness.
Will Choosing a Tinier Footprint Solve These Financial Woes?
For years, I’ve written about people who’ve chosen to live differently: full-time van lifers, RV travelers, tiny-home dwellers, and sailors who’ve traded mortgages for moorings. Many of them started out just like those in the AP-NORC poll: stressed, overworked, and unsure how to ever feel stable again.
This is definitely how I started living on a sailboat and in a campervan. I’d just lost my job at KGO radio and refused to go into debt just to have a “normal” home.
What I discovered is that security isn’t always about having more — it’s about needing less.
When you live in a van or on a sailboat, you learn quickly what matters and what doesn’t. Monthly expenses drop dramatically. There’s no rent or massive utility bill, no need to fill a closet with clothes or furniture you rarely use.
Instead, you invest in experiences, in moments, in freedom, in nature, in yourself.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy.
Nomadic living comes with its own set of challenges. But for many, it replaces financial anxiety with flexibility. If gas prices rise, you drive less. If you lose work, you can stay put for a while. The whole lifestyle is designed around resilience instead of consumption.
The Cost of Living Crisis and the Search for Meaning
The poll shows how financial worry now touches almost every part of life. Women, for instance, are significantly more likely than men to stress about the cost of groceries, health care, and electricity. Adults under 30 worry most about housing costs and salaries.
When nearly everyone feels stretched thin, it’s no wonder alternative lifestyles are gaining traction. Search interest in van life, tiny homes, and off-grid living continues to rise. People aren’t just chasing adventure, they’re looking for relief.
In a culture that’s long equated success with accumulation, the realization that “enough” can look different for everyone is quietly radical.
I’ve met people who’ve turned an old school bus into a home and found more joy than they ever did in a mortgage. I’ve met retirees sailing on modest pensions, finally free from the financial pressure that once ruled their lives. They’ve all told me the same thing in different ways: life feels lighter when you stop trying to keep up.
Finding Stability in the Instability of Being on the Move
The AP-NORC survey describes a country holding steady….but just barely. What’s striking is how many of us are re-imagining what “steady” even means.
For some, it’s a traditional safety net: a steady paycheck, health insurance, a growing 401(k). For others, it’s the ability to adapt, live simply, and chart their own course.
The poll’s findings highlight something bigger than economic worry. They point to a cultural turning point — a realization that the old formula of “work hard, buy more, be secure” doesn’t work for everyone anymore.
Maybe it’s time to rethink the American dream, what it means to be happy, and what we truly need.
Because when your life fits inside a van — or a sailboat, or a tiny home — you discover something few polls can measure: peace of mind that isn’t tied to a paycheck.
Source:
AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Most say their financial situation is holding steady, but it’s tenuous.” October 2025. Link
