A survey from GOBankingRates finds that the average American places financial fears above all others, including dying. This is in part because lack of cash can affect so many other areas.
According to the survey, 66% of the average person’s greatest fears involve money in one way or another.
“Money is one of the biggest sources of fear there is, because it affects everything from our basic wants and needs to our social status, professional success and psychological well-being,” said Christina Lavingia, an editor for GOBankingRates. “Money is pervasive; it’s involved in almost every decision we make, and therefore it cannot be ignored.”
Here is the chart of biggest fears:
Biggest fears
17% Losing a family member11% Alone for the remainder of life
11% Living paycheck to paycheck
10% Losing job10% Falling into debt
9% Becoming homeless
9% Victim of horrible crime
9% Snakes, spiders, creepy crawlies
9% Dying8
% Gaining weight
Source: GOBankingRates
Loss of employment and facing an insurmountable pile of debt head up a list of:
Biggest financial fears
27% Losing job
26% Falling into debt
16% Identity theft
15% Losing home
13% Never able to retire
4% Loving savings in the stock market
Source: GOBankingRates
GOBankingRates full report can be found here:
http://www.gobankingrates.com/banking/study-finds-1-3-people-worry-money-time/
RBR-TVBR observation: This falls into the category of useful general knowledge. It can inform your decision regarding program content, and even more to the point, it can inform your dealings with your own employees.
On the programming side, average citizens are going to be interested in common sense, easy-implemented financial advice. And while we suspect most would not tune into a show that directly addresses the issue, it might be a very useful topic to inject into your news and general interest talk programs.
On the personnel side, a secure employee is going to be much more productive than an employee that is worried about getting by from one day to the next. The better able your company can address basic human concerns of each person on the payroll, the most attention they will be able to focus on doing the very best they can for the company.
